Salvadoran Man Deported by Mistake Pleads Not Guilty in Tennessee Court
People supporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, June 13, 2025. X/ @wrblnews3
June 13, 2025 Hour: 2:35 pm
Attorney General Bondi accused Abrego Garcia with charges related to illegal transportation of undocumented migrants.
On Friday, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador due to an “error” by the Trump administration, pleaded not guilty in his first hearing before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville.
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Previously, on June 6, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi filed charges against Abrego Garcia, accusing him of conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants and illegal transportation of undocumented individuals.
As the hearing took place, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Nashville courthouse, chanting slogans such as “Free Kilmar,” “Defend due process and human rights,” “Immigrants make America,” and “Abolish ICE, Protect Immigrants.”
“Our family should never be in this situation—we should be with our children. Right now, Kilmar’s mind and mine are here in Tennessee, but our hearts are in Maryland with our kids,” said Jennifer Vasquez, Abrego Garcia’s wife.
A week ago, Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. from a Salvadoran prison, where the Trump administration had sent him despite his protected status, which should have shielded him from deportation. He remained in the Central American country despite orders from the U.S. Supreme Court and a Maryland judge ruling that his deportation was illegal.
Upon his return to the U.S., he faced federal human trafficking charges stemming from a 2022 encounter with police in Tennessee, where he was traveling with several suspected undocumented migrants. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have denied the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
They also asked the U.S. District Court in Maryland, where his immigration case originated, to sanction the Trump administration under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for “repeated violations of the government’s legal obligations,” including disregarding the Supreme Court’s order to facilitate his return.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
