Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland construction worker whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, pleaded not guilty Friday to federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, The Associated Press reported.
The court hearing marked Abrego Garcia’s first formal response to the US government’s allegations, following his forced removal in March to a notorious Salvadoran prison—a deportation that violated a 2019 judge’s order shielding him from removal due to likely gang persecution, the report said.
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys reportedly argued that the indictment is a “desperate attempt” by the government to justify the deportation, which took place after a Supreme Court order and mounting public pressure forced officials to return him to the US.
“They’re going to give all these other people deals to stay in the country just to get this one other person,” Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz reportedly said while referencing government witnesses with criminal backgrounds or immigration incentives.
According to the report, the US government alleged Abrego Garcia smuggled hundreds of undocumented migrants, including children and MS-13 gang members, and was reportedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking, though he is not charged with those additional crimes.
Acting US Attorney Rob McGuire said, “Migrant transportation is inherently dangerous,” citing domestic violence orders of protection filed by Abrego Garcia’s wife in 2020 and 2021, as reported by the AP.
Special Agent Peter Joseph of the Department of Homeland Security testified that unnamed witnesses alleged Abrego Garcia earned over $100,000 annually from smuggling and had inappropriate conduct involving underage girls.
Defense attorneys challenged the credibility of the witnesses, noting that at least one had a felony conviction, another was promised release from jail, and a third had been compensated by law enforcement.
“If Mr. Abrego Garcia is so dangerous… why did they wait almost three years to indict him on this?” Shabazz asked, according to AP.
According to the report, US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes said she would issue a ruling on Abrego Garcia’s detention status “sooner rather than later.”
The smuggling charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia was found transporting nine passengers. Officers suspected smuggling but let him go with a warning. Body cam footage captured officers discussing suspicions and noting he carried $1,400 in an envelope.
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