CHICAGO — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man at the center of a politically charged immigration case, is now back in the United States and facing federal charges of human smuggling, authorities confirmed Friday. The charges come months after his controversial deportation to El Salvador — a move his attorneys called a violation of his legal protections.
Garcia was returned to the U.S. and appeared in a federal court in Tennessee, where a grand jury indictment was unsealed. Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled him “a smuggler of humans and children and women.” His legal team is pushing back aggressively, calling the government’s claims “preposterous.”
From Construction Worker To Alleged Smuggler
According to federal prosecutors, Garcia was allegedly part of a large-scale human smuggling operation dating back to 2016. He is accused of moving undocumented immigrants across the country — including members of MS-13, a gang often cited by the Trump administration.
But Garcia’s attorneys paint a drastically different picture.
“He’s a working-class family man, not some cartel mastermind,” said his lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg.
Garcia, now 29, had been living in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with his wife and children — three of whom have disabilities — when he was mistakenly deported in March.
Gang Threats And Family Struggles In El Salvador
Court documents detail Garcia’s troubled upbringing in San Salvador, where he and his family were repeatedly targeted by the violent Barrio 18 gang. His family ran a home-based pupusa shop, “Pupuseria Cecilia,” but closed it and fled after repeated extortion attempts.
Garcia came to the U.S. at age 16 and reunited with his brother in Maryland. Over the years, he found work in construction, joined a union, and was granted protection from deportation in 2019 due to “a well-founded fear” of persecution.
Traffic Stop Sparks Indictment
The basis for the human smuggling charges stems from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where Garcia was found transporting eight people in a van with no luggage. While no citations or arrests were made at the time, prosecutors now cite that incident in their indictment.
Bodycam footage, released in May, shows officers discussing human trafficking concerns and finding $1,400 in an envelope. Still, no charges were filed until his deportation became a flashpoint issue earlier this year.
His wife explained, “He often transported workers between construction jobs,” insisting the event was innocent.
Source: Chicago Tribune coverage
Supporters Say Rights Were Violated
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has spoken out in Garcia’s defense, saying the administration “must now make its case in court, as it should have all along.”
The return of Garcia — despite prior court protections — has ignited fierce debate about immigration enforcement and due process. While Attorney General Bondi claims he’s at the center of a criminal ring, Garcia’s team is adamant that he’s being wrongly portrayed.
“There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree this man is an MS-13 ringleader,” said Sandoval-Moshenberg.
Do you believe Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being unfairly targeted, or should authorities pursue the full extent of the law in suspected smuggling cases?
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