Kilmar Abrego Garcia was freed from a Tennessee jail to await trial under home detention in Maryland.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national whose case has become central to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, was released Friday from a Tennessee jail to await trial with his family in Maryland.
Abrego Garcia, 40, faces human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. He pleaded not guilty. His release order requires home detention, electronic monitoring, and his brother as custodian.
The court allowed his release after concerns that immigration officials might deport him again. “While his release brings some relief, we all know that he is far from safe,” said attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, warning that “ICE detention or deportation to an unknown third country still threaten to tear his family apart.”
Abrego Garcia was deported in March before being returned under court order in June. His attorneys argue he is being prosecuted in retaliation for fighting his removal.