Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, appeared in front of a federal judge in Nashville on June 13 and pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges. His case gained international scrutiny, as he had been accidentally deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in disregard of a 2019 U.S. court order protecting him from removal. Now back in the U.S., García is indicted with severe offenses against the smuggling of unauthorized migrants in or affecting interstate commerce—crimes he and his lawyers strenuously deny.
/*Court Appearance and Charges*/
García was formally charged with two significant crimes during Friday's hearing: conspiracy to smuggle aliens illegally for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens within the nation. These are filed on a May-sealed indictment made public. Prosecutors allege he trafficked migrants—some of whom were children—through multiple states, including Missouri and Texas. His attorneys entered a not-guilty plea and now await whether he will remain detained until a pretrial detention hearing.
/*Backstory: False Deportation and Court Battle*/
García was deported to El Salvador by mistake and imprisoned there in March even though there was a 2019 court-ordered withholding of removal order. The order explicitly warned of potential gang persecution. He was being held at the notorious Salvadoran prison, CECOT, when a U.S. judge intervened and had him extradited back. The U.S. Supreme Court later upheld the need to "facilitate" his return—but Trump's administration procrastinated compliance until criminal charges were brought.
/*Defense, Protest and Personal Appeals*/
Outside the courthouse, García's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and supporters along with immigrant rights activists called for his release and due process. She wept recounting their separation and begged: "Keep fighting, and I will be triumphant because God is on our side". García's lawyers strongly contest the charges of smuggling, labeling the removal as an egregious error and the continued prosecution as politically motivated. They refer to his stable home life, absence of a criminal past, and long-standing residence in Maryland.
/*Prosecution's Case and Dispute Over Detention*/
Prosecutors are predicated on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where García was driving a vehicle that had nine people packed inside with no luggage—raising suspicions of trafficking. Witnesses, including cooperators, charge García with working with smuggling networks that are MS‑13-affiliated, making up to $100,000 annually. They also mention so-called firearm and drug activity, although these are not charges. Prosecutors say he's a flight risk and a danger to society. The judge will have to decide whether to hold him pending trial or release him on supervision