Wrongly deported Salvadoran migrant pleads not guilty to smuggling charges

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, 29, was summarily deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in March and brought back to the United States last week.
He was immediately arrested on his return and charged in Nashville, Tennessee, with smuggling undocumented migrants around the United States between 2016 and 2025.
Abrego Garcia entered a plea of not guilty to the criminal charges on Friday before a federal district judge, US media reported.
The US Supreme Court had ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" the return of Abrego Garcia after he was mistakenly deported to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador.
Abrego Garcia was flown back to the United States on June 6 but Attorney General Pam Bondi insisted to reporters that his return resulted from an arrest warrant presented to Salvadoran authorities.
Abrego Garcia was living in the eastern state of Maryland until he became one of more than 200 people sent to the CECOT prison in El Salvador as part of Trump's crackdown on undocumented migrants.
Most of the migrants who were summarily deported were alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has declared a foreign terrorist organization.
Justice Department lawyers later admitted that Abrego Garcia -- who is married to a US citizen -- was wrongly deported due to an "administrative error."
Abrego Garcia had been living in the United States under protected legal status since 2019, when a judge ruled he should not be deported because he could be harmed in his home country.
Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia "played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring" and was a smuggler of "children and women" as well as members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.
She said Abrego Garcia would be returned to El Salvador upon completion of any prison sentence in the United States.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

France 24

3 hours ago

• France 24

Iran: Israel vows to press offensive amid failing diplomacy

05:12 21/06/2025 Israel says strikes Iran's military infrastructure and nuclear sites Middle East 21/06/2025 Israeli military says killed Iran's Hamas coordinator Middle East 21/06/2025 Iranians flee war-torn country in long and dangerous journey Middle East 21/06/2025 Former member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team speaks to FRANCE 24 Middle East 21/06/2025 Israel-Iran war: Will Trump lose part of his supporters whatever he decides to do? Middle East 21/06/2025 Gaza faces a 'man-made drought' as water systems collapse Middle East 21/06/2025 Iran - Israel war : Geneva negotiations stall out Middle East 21/06/2025 A mall parking lot turned underground bunker in Tel Aviv On the ground Middle East

France 24

4 hours ago

• France 24

Israeli military says killed Iran's Hamas coordinator

04:35 21/06/2025 Iranians flee war-torn country in long and dangerous journey Middle East 21/06/2025 Former member of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team speaks to FRANCE 24 Middle East 21/06/2025 Israel-Iran war: Will Trump lose part of his supporters whatever he decides to do? Middle East 21/06/2025 Gaza faces a 'man-made drought' as water systems collapse Middle East 21/06/2025 Iran - Israel war : Geneva negotiations stall out Middle East 21/06/2025 A mall parking lot turned underground bunker in Tel Aviv On the ground Middle East 20/06/2025 Israeli leaders tell citizens to prepare for lengthy conflict with Iran Middle East 20/06/2025 'In military terms, US and Israel would be able to destroy Iran nuclear program, weaken their govt' Middle East 20/06/2025 Israel conducts 'intense attack' on Iranian city on Caspian Sea Middle East

Euronews

5 hours ago

• Euronews

German and French industry united on US aircraft sector tariffs

The German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) wants only US completed products aircraft and helicopters to be targeted by the EU for retaliatory tariffs - leaving the market for the supply of parts unscathed - if trade negotiations between the EU and the US founder, the group has told Euronews. It's position aligns it with the French sector's stance. 'If the EU must respond, counter-tariffs should focus strictly on fully finished aerospace end products – such as complete aircraft and helicopters – and explicitly exclude spare parts or critical products,' BDLI said in an email to Euronews. 'This is essential to avoid unintended harm to European and global production networks.' US aircraft are included in the European Commission's draft list of €95 billion worth of US products that could face duties if ongoing negotiations fail. The list was open for industry consultation until 10 June and now awaits approval by EU member states. BDLI's position mirrors that of Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury, who also chairs the French aerospace association GIFAS. Speaking to French media in May, Faury backed tariffs on finished aircraft but warned against measures affecting spare parts, to avoid disrupting the global supply chain. A source familiar with the matter told Euronews that the French government supports the stance of its aerospace industry. In response to the EU's inclusion of aircraft in its draft retaliation list, the US has launched an investigation that could pave the way for the Trump administration to impose additional tariffs on the EU aerospace sector. Trade tensions between the EU and the US risk reigniting the long-standing rivalry between aerospace giants Boeing and Airbus. However, the two economies' production systems are tightly intertwined. For instance, the LEAP engine, used in both Airbus and Boeing jets, is co-produced by US-based General Electric and France's Safran. Aircraft remain a central issue in ongoing EU-US negotiations. Following a discussion with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada on Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said both leaders had directed their teams to accelerate negotiation. EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič also met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday, on the margins of the G7. A follow-up meeting with US counterparts is scheduled to take place in Washington on Thursday and Friday, an EU spokesperson confirmed. The US currently imposes tariffs of 50% on EU steel and aluminium, 25% on cars, and 10% on all other EU imports. President Trump has warned he will raise tariffs on all EU imports to 50% if no 'fair' agreement is reached by 9 July.