Justice Department says Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face US trial before any move to deport him again

The Justice Department has stated that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will face federal smuggling charges in Tennessee before any attempt to deport him again. This assurance addresses concerns that he might be expelled from the U.S. shortly after a recent court ruling allowed for his release pending trial. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville had ruled Abrego Garcia has a right to be released but temporarily kept him in custody due to fears of immediate deportation. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed that Abrego Garcia, who has been charged with severe crimes including child trafficking, will not be released without facing trial. Abrego Garcia became a focal point of immigration policy debates when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March under the Trump administration, only to be returned to the U.S. to face charges. His attorneys had filed an emergency request in Maryland to ensure he would be brought to that state upon release, preventing deportation before his trial. Abrego Garcia had lived in Maryland with his American wife and children for over a decade before his initial deportation. The government acknowledged plans to deport him to a third country, not El Salvador, but provided no specific timeline. A White House spokesperson affirmed that Abrego Garcia would face the full extent of the American justice system for the charges against him. The judge in Maryland indicated she needed to consider pending motions to dismiss the case before ruling on the emergency request, scheduling a hearing for July 7. The Trump administration had previously violated a 2019 immigration judge's order barring Abrego Garcia's expulsion due to credible threats from gangs in his native country, calling it an administrative error. Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges, which stem from a 2022 traffic stop where he was driving a vehicle with nine passengers.