WafricNews - 7 june 2025

In a dramatic legal and diplomatic twist, Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by U.S. authorities in March, has been brought back to the United States to face two federal criminal charges related to human smuggling.

Ábrego García was returned after the U.S. secured cooperation from El Salvador by presenting an arrest warrant, following months of controversy, court orders, and public outcry. He is now charged with conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and unlawful transportation of migrants, in a case federal prosecutors say involves ties to transnational gang activity.

According to a Tennessee grand jury indictment, unsealed Friday, Ábrego García allegedly helped move undocumented individuals—some allegedly affiliated with MS-13—across multiple U.S. states from as far back as 2016. Officials claim he played a “significant role” in a smuggling operation that ferried thousands of migrants from Texas to the East Coast.

But defense attorneys say the case is built on shaky ground.

“The government deported this man illegally, then snatched him back to prosecute him without due process,” said Simon Sandoval Moshenberg, one of Ábrego García’s lawyers. “These charges are preposterous. This is not justice—it’s a political cover-up.”

A Deportation Mistake with Global Fallout

In 2019, an immigration judge granted Ábrego García protection from removal, citing gang threats in El Salvador. But amid a renewed crackdown, the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798—a centuries-old wartime law—to deport him in March without warning.

He was flown directly to Cecot, El Salvador’s mega-prison notorious for its harsh treatment of suspected gang members. Over 250 other deportees were reportedly sent alongside him.

Despite an April U.S. Supreme Court order demanding the administration "facilitate" his return, federal officials delayed action. It wasn’t until Senator Chris Van Hollen intervened and demanded to see Ábrego García in El Salvador that progress was made.

“He was disappeared to a foreign prison, in violation of a court order,” Moshenberg said. “Now they’re bringing him back—not to right a wrong, but to justify it.”

Allegations, Denials, and No Prior Convictions

While the indictment links Ábrego García to MS-13, and accuses him of helping smuggle weapons and drugs into the U.S., he has not been formally charged with gang membership or narcotics trafficking.

“He’s never been convicted of a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador,” Moshenberg emphasized, accusing the government of making "sensational claims" to justify their missteps.

🇸🇻 Bukele Responds, U.S. Officials Double Down

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a key ally of Donald Trump, confirmed El Salvador complied with the U.S. extradition request, stating, “If the U.S. wants to charge a gang member, we won’t say no.”

Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the U.S. will argue for Ábrego García to remain in custody before trial, calling him a “flight risk” and a “danger to the community.”

Ábrego García is set to appear in federal court in Tennessee. His legal team is expected to challenge the charges and demand a review of the government’s conduct surrounding his deportation and return.

“This case is bigger than one man,” said Senator Van Hollen. “It’s about whether the rule of law still applies—even when mistakes are made at the highest level.”


By WafricNews Desk.