NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Quantum News Network) — Federal judges on Friday are set to evaluate challenges to the government's ongoing treatment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador has sparked significant opposition to President Trump's comprehensive immigration policies and mass deportation initiatives.
In Maryland, Abrego Garcia is contesting the government's plans to re-deport him to a third country after the government acknowledged a prior order preventing his deportation to his home country of El Salvador. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has indicated plans to deport him to Eswatini.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has mandated that government officials testify about the measures taken to facilitate Abrego Garcia's deportation to Eswatini or any other location. His legal team accuses the Trump administration of unlawfully using the immigration system as a form of punishment in the aftermath of the wrongful deportation.
Additionally, in Tennessee, lawyers making similar accusations regarding human smuggling charges filed against Abrego Garcia in June have also emerged following his return to the U.S. from El Salvador. The state judge has suggested that the charges may be an illegal act of retaliation after he successfully sued the Trump administration.
The smuggling charges originated from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Initially, Abrego Garcia faced no charges, but investigations were prompted earlier this year after his wife's lawsuit concerning his deportation. The judicial hearing on Friday will ascertain the nature of the documents accessible to Abrego Garcia's attorneys aimed at validating their retaliation claims.
Trump administration officials have actively engaged in a vigorous public relations strategy against Abrego Garcia, labeling him repeatedly as a member of the MS-13 gang, despite his lack of any criminal convictions.
