Kilmar Abrego Garcia charges dropped, judge says Trump DOJ case vindictive

A federal judge in Tennessee on Friday dismissed human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant whose mistaken deportation by the Trump administration became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled that the Justice Department’s prosecution of Abrego Garcia was “vindictive,” finding that the government would not have brought the case had he not challenged his deportation.

The decision marks a major legal win for Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador in March despite a prior court order barring the U.S. government from sending him there because he could face persecution.

The Trump administration later brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. in June after the Supreme Court ordered officials to facilitate his return. But prosecutors first secured a criminal indictment accusing him of human smuggling.

Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty and argued the charges were retaliation for his fight to return to the U.S. Crenshaw agreed, handing the Justice Department a setback in a closely watched Trump immigration case.

—This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.