Judge Dismisses Charges Against Kilmer Abrego Garcia

A judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has dismissed the charges against Kilmer Abrego Garcia in a ruling made on Friday.

Abrego Garcia found himself at the center of a deportation debate after the Trump administration inadvertently deported him to El Salvador. They later justified the actions based on his purported criminal background. U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw has officially dismissed all the criminal charges against Abrego Garcia.

In the court’s decision, Crenshaw noted, “For the reasons set forth in the accompanying memorandum opinion, the motion to dismiss under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 12(b)(3)(A)(iv) (Document No. 104) is granted. Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the solicitation (Document No. 3) are rejected.”

Abrego Garcia’s wife expressed relief, stating, “Holding on to my beliefs and the strength of a movement that came together to stand up for my family, I can stand here today and say that he is finally home.” She had filed two asylum applications prior to becoming a prominent figure in the anti-ICE movement.

In 2011, Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally from El Salvador. He was indicted by federal authorities for human smuggling and conspiracy related to a December 2022 traffic stop. During that stop, the Tennessee Highway Patrol noticed him transporting eight passengers. Without a valid driver’s license and under suspicion of passenger trafficking, he was released at the FBI’s request.

The vehicle he was driving belonged to Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, an illegal immigrant who was sentenced to prison in 2020 for human smuggling.

Back in December 2019, the Board of Immigration Appeals rejected a judge’s claim that Abrego Garcia was an acknowledged member of MS-13, as indicated by a Department of Justice document released in mid-April. Earlier, on March 28, 2019, police spotted him wandering in a hardware store parking lot, dressed in a “Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie,” which supposedly indicated a “good relationship” with MS-13.

Though an immigration judge had ordered his deportation, Abrego Garcia was granted a stay allowing him to work in the U.S. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security issued a domestic violence restraining order in 2021, which his wife had sought earlier.