Trump admin defiant after judge rules migrant should be released pending trial
The Trump administration has vowed that a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported in March will remain in custody despite a federal judge ordering his release.
Kilmar Ábrego García was wrongly removed during an immigration crackdown but later returned to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee. Judge Barbara Holmes ruled Sunday that he should be released while awaiting trial, finding the government failed to prove he was dangerous or a flight risk.
However, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declared Monday: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a dangerous criminal illegal alien. We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil.”
Federal prosecutors allege Ábrego García participated in a trafficking conspiracy from 2016, transporting undocumented migrants between Texas and other states over 100 times. He has pleaded not guilty.
The judge noted immigration officials retain authority to detain him regardless of her ruling.