Federal Testimony Backs Smuggling Charges in Abrego Garcia Case

In Nashville federal court on Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security agent and a federal prosecutor testified that human smuggling charges against Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia were based on solid evidence, countering defense arguments that the case amounted to vindictive prosecution following his court-ordered return to the United States last year.

Abrego Garcia, 30, faces charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee's Putnam County, where state troopers pulled him over for speeding while he was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. Body camera footage captured a routine exchange, with officers noting suspicions about possible smuggling due to the lack of luggage, the travel route and the vehicle's connection to an individual with a known smuggling history. Abrego Garcia received only a warning and was allowed to proceed. He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the indictment.

The hearing, ordered by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, examined whether the charges were brought to retaliate against Abrego Garcia after the U.S. Supreme Court required the government to facilitate his return from El Salvador. Abrego Garcia entered the...