Mistakenly Deported Man Returns to US for Trafficking Charges

After being mistakenly deported, Kilmar Ábrego García has returned to the US to face serious charges of alien smuggling. His attorneys claim the allegations are unfounded and highlight a legal struggle surrounding his deportation.

Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old from El Salvador, has been returned to the United States to face prosecution on two federal criminal charges following his wrongful deportation in March. The charges against him include participating in a trafficking conspiracy, allegedly spanning several years and involving the transport of individuals from Texas to other areas of the country. Upon presenting an arrest warrant to El Salvador, the U.S. successfully negotiated his return, as explained by Attorney General Pam Bondi this past Friday. His legal representation has deemed the charges "preposterous."

Initially, the Biden administration had resisted a U.S. Supreme Court order from April that required them to facilitate Mr. Ábrego García's return after he had been placed in a prominent jail in El Salvador, housing over 250 other deportees. The grand jury indictment, filed recently in Tennessee, includes allegations of conspiracy to transport undocumented individuals and unlawful transportation of such individuals.

Bondi outlined that evidence from the grand jury indicated that Mr. Ábrego García played a vital role in an alien smuggling operation, purportedly aiding thousands of undocumented immigrants to enter the U.S. since 2016. Among the claims, there are accusations that he facilitated the transit of members of the MS-13 gang, which has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization by U.S. authorities. Despite previous allegations connecting him to gang activities, Mr. Ábrego García maintains he has never been involved in any criminal activity in either the U.S. or El Salvador.

His attorney, Simon Sandoval Moshenberg, criticized the process leading to his client's deportation as "an abuse of power." He emphasized that the government illegally consigned Mr. Ábrego García to a foreign prison, questioning the legitimacy of the motivations behind his return. "This is not a situation that reflects justice—it's a legal mistake that needs to be rectified adequately," added Moshenberg.

Mr. Ábrego García entered the U.S. illegally at a young age and had been granted asylum after demonstrating that he was at risk of persecution from local gangs upon return to El Salvador. His life drastically changed on March 15 when he was deported as part of Trump-era immigration policies invoking the Alien Enemies Act.

The circumstances surrounding Mr. Ábrego García's deportation attracted significant political attention. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen intervened, emphasizing the need to recognize constitutional rights in these complex legal circumstances. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele publicly stated that the government would comply with U.S. requests regarding a "gang member," reinforcing the political narratives complicating Mr. Ábrego García's case. He is set to appear in a Tennessee court, where the U.S. government plans to request his detention while awaiting the trial.