Judge Won’t Rule This Week On Releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia From Jail

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)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge in Tennessee says he won’t immediately rule on whether to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail as he awaits trial on human smuggling charges. A decision to free the Salvadoran national could allow President Donald Trump’s administration to try to deport him for a second time. A hearing to review the matter was held Wednesday in Nashville. The construction worker who was living in Maryland became a flashpoint in the debate over the Republican administration’s immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in March. The U.S. returned Abrego Garcia last month to face the federal smuggling charges. His lawyers say the case is preposterous.