Mistakenly Deported Man Faces Charges After Return to U.S.

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who was mistakenly deported from Maryland, is returning to the U.S. to face criminal charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants. This development comes two months after the Trump administration acknowledged the error in his deportation.

Abrego Garcia, 29, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tennessee on charges that he participated in a conspiracy to transport thousands of non-citizens from Mexico and Central America across the country. The charges were filed under seal last month and accuse him of being involved in this activity for nearly a decade.

Reports indicate that among those involved in the alleged transport were children and members of the notorious Salvadoran gang MS-13. Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland with his wife and three children, was deported to El Salvador on March 12 despite a 2019 court order that prohibited such action due to fears he would face persecution there.

His family has denied any gang affiliation, stating that he has no criminal record in the U.S. except for minor traffic violations. After discussions between U.S. and Salvadoran officials, Abrego Garcia is now being brought back to the U.S. to ensure he receives due process regarding his deportation.

The legal struggle intensified when a federal judge ordered the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. A court had previously determined that sending him to El Salvador could lead to severe consequences due to threats from local gangs.

The investigation leading to his indictment began after a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2022, where Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with multiple passengers without luggage. Authorities did not initially charge him but later focused on the circumstances of the stop.

Officials from the Justice Department have since been examining his past to build a case against him. An investigation into a registered vehicle belonging to another individual revealed claims that Abrego Garcia had transported undocumented migrants from Texas.

As Abrego Garcia faces these allegations, his family continues to assert that he is innocent of the charges against him.