TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 22, 2026

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw on Friday dismissed human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. According to the Associated Press, Crenshaw ruled that without Abrego Garcia’s “successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the government would not have brought this prosecution,” dismissing claims of “new evidence” against him. Abrego Garcia was charged with human smuggling and conspiracy to commit human smuggling. Prosecutors alleged that he accepted money to transport within the United States people who were in the country illegally. In December 2025, Crenshaw said the government's case could be "vindictive." In February, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland ruled that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not re-detain Abrego Garcia after a detention period expired because it had no viable plan for deporting him.