Summary
A Tennessee judge decided that Kilmar Abrego Garcia should be released from prison while he waits for his trial on smuggling charges. However, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to hold him for deportation because he was deported before, mistakenly, to El Salvador and later returned to the U.S.
Key Facts
- Kilmar Abrego Garcia was ordered released from prison by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Tennessee.
- He is accused of smuggling migrants from Texas to different parts of the U.S. and has pleaded not guilty.
- ICE plans to take him into custody for deportation, despite the judge's order for release.
- Abrego Garcia originally entered the U.S. in 2011 to escape gang threats in El Salvador.
- He was mistakenly deported in March despite a 2019 court order stopping his removal.
- The government acknowledges the error in his initial deportation but now accuses him of being involved in criminal activities.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that the government failed to prove he is a danger to the community or unlikely to appear in court.
- Abrego Garcia's case highlights debates over the handling of immigration and deportation policies in the U.S.
