Kilmar Abrego Garcia Is Back In The US, Charged With Human Smuggling As Attorneys Vow Ongoing Fight

SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR – APRIL 17: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout provided by Sen. Van Hollen’s Office, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) meets with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia (L) at an undisclosed location on April 17, 2025 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, was illegally deported by the Trump administration and has been held in prison in El Salvador since March 15. (Photo by Sen. Van Hollen’s Office via Getty Images)

The fight over the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador now returns to the U.S. court system. Abrego Garcia appeared Friday in court for the first time since he was expelled, facing new charges related to a large human smuggling operation. He was placed in federal custody in Tennessee after being brought back to the U.S. The Trump administration alleges that long before his deportation, Abrego Garcia smuggled thousands of people across the country who were living in the U.S. illegally. Abrego Garcia’s wife and lawyers offer a much different story, saying the now 29-year-old had as a teenager fled local gangs that terrorized his family for a life in Maryland.