NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Justice Department is pushing to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia months after a federal judge in Tennessee threw out the case.
Abrego Garcia was accused of smuggling immigrants into the U.S. illegally following a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. A lower court judge dismissed the case in May, ruling that prosecutors acted vindictively and retaliated against Abrego Garcia after he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last year.
The government argues the judge overstepped by trying to guess prosecutors' motivations.
Abrego Garcia's defense team says those claims are flat wrong, insisting the White House pushed for the case after their client won his Supreme Court case.
The appeals court has not yet ruled on whether the smuggling charges will be reinstated.
Abrego Garcia is also facing a separate legal fight in Maryland federal court. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to deport him to Liberia, but a judge has blocked that — for now.
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