His lawyer told the BBC that an El Salvador man was wrongly deported and then released back to the United States on criminal charges.
“Today, Kilmarábrego García is free,” said attorney Sean Hecker, who plans to return to his family in Maryland.
Mr Ábrego García was deported to his native El Salvador in March as part of an immigrant suppressor of Donald Trump, where he was kept in the infamous Cecot prison. U.S. government officials admitted at the time that he was mistaken for him.
He was sent back to the United States in early June and to Tennessee, where he was charged with human smuggling schemes. He pleaded not guilty.
It will be the first time he has been fully reunited with his family since he was deported since March. He has a wife and two children.
Mr. Ábrego García’s release is a blow to the Trump administration, who stood firmly in his deportation, vowing that he would “never be free” on American soil.
His attorneys said they were worried that immigration authorities might be detained again by immigration authorities when they arrived in Maryland and were worried that he might be deported to another country.
He entered the United States illegally since El Salvador’s teenage years old. In 2019, he and three other men in Maryland were arrested and detained by federal immigration authorities.
Later that year, he was granted protection from deportation by immigration judges, as determined that he could face gang danger if he returned to his native El Salvador.
But in March 2025, Maryland residents were deported, initially held in El Salvador’s Cecot Mega Pronon, which Trump administration officials later admitted was a mistake. The judge ordered the administration to “promote” his return, but White House officials initially refused to bring him back.
“This is what American justice looks like” after returning to the human smuggling charges in June.
He denied any misconduct, and his lawyer called the trafficking allegations “absurd”.
In late June, a federal judge in Tennessee ruled that Mr. Ábrego García was eligible for release, but due to concerns from his own legal team, he could be deported again if he leaves the facility.
The Trump administration said it may seek to sever him and send him to Mexico or South Sudan.
The judge has ordered that the attorney must be notified if the government does seek to expel Mr. Ábrego García.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
