TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jun 26, 2025

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has announced it will try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee before pursuing deportation to a third country, not his native El Salvador, according to the Associated Press. Abrego Garcia's attorneys, concerned he could be swiftly deported before trial, have asked U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland to intervene and have him transferred there while awaiting court proceedings. Abrego Garcia — who has lived in Maryland for more than a decade, was deported to El Salvador in March and brought back to the states in June — has denied gang ties and pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Nashville-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes has ruled for his conditional release pending trial, but yesterday delayed release due to concerns that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would deport him before trial.