Jennifer VasquezAn El Salvadorian man was wrongly deported from the United States before returning to criminal charges, pleading not guilty to two counts related to so-called trafficking in persons.
Kilmarábrego García appeared at the hearing Friday in a video link in Nashville and denied allegations of illegal transport of immigration and conspiracy.
Trump officials claim he is a member of the MS-13 gang, an allegation strongly denied by Mr. Ábrego García’s lawyers and family.
After being deported in March, government officials initially said he could not be brought back to the United States, but Later, he took him to Tennessee and was prosecuted.
Mr. Ábrego García first entered the United States illegally in 2011 and was deported by an immigration judge in 2019 because it was determined that he could face gangster danger if he returned to his native country, El Salvador.
However, 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.
Protesters gathered outside the court on Friday in support of Mr Ábrego García before the hearing, local news reported.
Ábrego García’s wife read a message outside the hearing.
“For all families who are still struggling after their family separation, or if you are also detained, Kilma wants you to have confidence,” said Jennifer Vasquez Sura.
The hearing before the federal judge ended, and there was no ruling on whether Mr. Ábrego García would be detained or released before the trial. However, the judge said she will make a written decision “as soon as possible, not later.”
Even if he was allowed to be released before trial, it is unlikely that Mr. Ábrego García would be released immediately, as the prosecutor could appeal and seek to detain him on the grounds of immigration.
In the indictment filed last month, U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors claimed that over the years, Mr. Ábrego García conspired to bring immigrants from Latin American countries into the United States.
Prosecutors said that under the indictment, under the indictment, Ábrego García and an unnamed accomplice would take over the immigrants in Houston and transport them elsewhere in the United States, and that they “intentionally, illegally transported thousands of people.”
The allegation dates back to 2016, when he claimed he had shipped undocumented individuals between Texas and his homes between Maryland and other states, more than 100 times.
At some point in December 2022, Mr. Ábrego García was briefly detained by Tennessee Highway Patrol personnel. However, no criminal charges were filed against him at the time.
His lawyers objected to the government’s case, describing it as “absurd” and “abuse of power.”
“The jury has absolutely no way to see the evidence and agrees that the metalworkers are the leader of the international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,” said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Mr. Ábrego García’s lawyers.
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