A federal judge has dismissed human smuggling and conspiracy charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, finding the case was tainted by a vindictive motive tied to his successful legal challenge to his mistaken deportation to El Salvador in 2025.
U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. of the Middle District of Tennessee dismissed the indictment on Friday, concluding that the government failed to rebut a presumption that the prosecution was brought in retaliation for Abrego Garcia’s successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador. (apnews.com)
In his written ruling granting Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss, Crenshaw said the evidence showed the case would not have been filed absent that lawsuit, describing what occurred as an abuse of prosecutorial power. The judge added that the court did not reach its conclusion lightly. (apnews.com)
Abrego Garcia, whose deportation to El Salvador in March 2025 was later described as mistaken, became a flashpoint in court battles over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. The criminal case centered on allegations that he accepted money to transport people in the United States who were in the country unlawfully, with the charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. (apnews.com)
The Justice Department said it planned to appeal the dismissal, calling the ruling “wrong and dangerous,” according to The Associated Press. (apnews.com)
