Latest news with #TennesseeLookout
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS Agent Makes Damning Confession on Timeline in Abrego Garcia Case
The Department of Homeland Security admitted to scrounging around for dirt on Kilmar Abrego Garcia only after he was wrongfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. Freshly returned from a Salvadoran prison, Abrego Garcia attended an arraignment hearing in Nashville Friday, where he pleaded not guilty to two charges related to illegally transporting undocumented immigrants for cash. The charges stemmed from an investigation into a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia was discovered in a car with several Hispanic men who did not possess identification. During the hearing Friday, one DHS agent revealed that he was only asked to look into Abrego Garcia's case on April 28 of this year, according to Tennessee Lookout's Anita Wadhwani. That's more than a month after Abrego Garcia was sent to a notorious Salvadoran prison, and a week after Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to recover his kidnapped constituent, boosting the story's profile to the national level. That was also a full week after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed, seemingly out of nowhere and without providing any evidence, that Abrego Garcia had 'engaged in human trafficking.' Last week, after months of claiming that Abrego Garcia would never return to the United States despite being deported over an 'administrative error,' Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his return and made several other allegations against Abrego Garcia that were not included in the indictment. Since accidentally sending Abrego Garcia abroad, the Trump administration has been intent on smearing him any way it can, repeatedly alleging an affiliation to the transnational MS-13 gang based on thin evidence and even falsely claiming he was a convicted criminal. Bondi said that if Abrego Garcia is convicted, the government plans to return him to El Salvador after he completes his sentence, once again violating a judge's order preventing his removal.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's wife shares message ahead of hearing: ‘Continue fighting … God is with us'
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, in black dress, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is embraced by friends and supporters before speaking at First Lutheran Church in Nashville before Abrego Garcia's June 13 arraignment on federal trafficking charges. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Salvadoran native who was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown — shared a message from him with a crowd gathered at a downtown Nashville church ahead of his arraignment Friday morning: 'Continue fighting, and I will be victorious because God is with us.' About two blocks down the street, Abrego Garcia awaited his arraignment in federal court on criminal 'alien smuggling' charges and a hearing to determine whether he will continue to be detained until trial. Speaking to a crowd of immigrant rights advocates, union leaders and clergy, Jennifer Vasquez Sura said Thursday marked exactly three months since 'the administration abducted and disappeared my husband and separated him from our family.' It also marked the first time she was able to see him — albeit through a video screen. Hundreds of miles away, their son, Kilmar Jr., was in Maryland at his kindergarten graduation, she said. 'Our family should have never been in this situation,' she said, her voice choking with emotion. 'We should be with our children. Me and Kilmar's mind is here in Tennessee, but my heart is in Maryland with my kids … My son is alone on his big day, and I'm here fighting for my husband, for his dad, to come back home.' Abrego Garcia — a 29-year-old Salvadoran native living in Maryland, union sheet metal worker and father of three — was driving home with his five-year-old son when he was pulled over in March. He was detained and mistakenly deported to a notorious Salvadoran prison under allegations of membership in the MS-13 criminal gang. His family says they are false. A court order from 2019 expressly prohibited his deportation to El Salvador, where he fears persecution. The El Salvador government returned Abrego Garcia to the United States in June to face a grand jury indictment in Tennessee for one count of 'conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain' and one count of 'unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain' between 2016 and 2025. The indictment was issued May 21 but remained sealed until June 6. The charges are tied to a traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in November 2022, when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding about 80 miles east of Nashville while driving an SUV with nine Hispanic men. No charges were filed at the time, but prosecutors now allege that the stop involved smuggling migrants within the United States. Vasquez Sura said Abrego Garcia spoke of faith and gratitude. 'To everyone who continues to support Kilmar and the fight for justice, Kilmar says, 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart. God has put us in this path together for a reason. He knows why He does it and what He does, and there's always a reason we have all come together at this moment,' Vasquez Sura said. 'Kilmar shares that he feels God's presence with him, as only God knows the darkness he has faced in these past three months,' she said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Federal prosecutors in Nashville ask judge to keep Abrego Garcia detained until trial
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security officer stood watch at the rear of the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building as Kilmar Abrego Garcia was brought to Tennessee on criminal charges. (Photo by John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Federal prosecutors on Monday detailed legal arguments for the detention until trial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man mistakenly deported by the Trump administration. Abrego Garcia was returned to Nashville from El Salvador on Friday to face two criminal human smuggling charges tied to a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. He appeared briefly in a downtown Nashville courtroom late Friday, and is scheduled to return to court this Friday for a formal arraignment of the charges against him. That hearing will also consider a motion by the Justice Department to keep Abrego Garcia in custody until the date of his trial, which has not yet been set. A federal grand jury indictment issued under seal May 21 and made public June 6 charges Abrego Garcia with 'conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain' and 'unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.' Wrongly deported Maryland man Abrego Garcia returned to U.S. Abrego Garcia 'knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens' for profit between 2016 and 2025 as a member of the MS-13 gang, prosecutors said. Dumaka Shabazz, a federal public defender appointed to represent Garcia in the criminal case, declined comment on the charges Monday. 'At this date, we are not inclined to give a statement,' Shabazz said via email. The criminal charges stem from a November 2022 traffic stop in Putnam County by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, court records show. Abrego Garcia was driving an SUV with nine Hispanic men when he was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 40 in Putnam County, about 80 miles east of Nashville, court records said. He was not charged in the incident. Prosecutors now allege that further investigation revealed the stop involved Abrego Garcia smuggling migrants within the United States illegally. Abrego Garcia faces a potentially lengthy sentence: a maximum of 10 years in prison for each person he allegedly transported. 'A stain on the Constitution': Abrego Garcia lawyers refuse to drop his case against U.S. A resident of Maryland until a prior traffic stop on March 12 this year, Abrego Garcia was dispatched within days to an El Salvador prison along with scores of other detainees. An immigrant from El Salvador, Abrego Garcia had received an immigration court order in 2019 that allowed him to reside in the United States and specifically barred the federal government from deporting him to El Salvador, where, he said, he feared gang violence. The prosecutors' memo seeking Abrego Garcia's detention until trial, filed in federal court Monday, alleges there is a 'serious risk' that Abrego Garcia 'and/or persons acting on his behalf will obstruct justice and/or intimidate the witnesses against him' should he be released from federal custody pending his trial. They also argued Abrego Garcia is a flight risk and a danger to the community. In their memo, prosecutors said they plan to raise allegations that children without legal immigration status were transported and 'used in unsafe ways' to avoid detection of Abrego Garcia's illegal smuggling activities. Abrego Garcia has not been charged with crimes involving the illegal transport of children. Prosecutors also acknowledged that, should Abrego Garcia be released pending trial, he would likely be immediately taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to face further proceedings in immigration court. Nevertheless, they argued that should he not be taken into ICE custody, Abrego Garcia would have an 'enormous reason to flee.' U.S. Magistrate Barbara Holmes, who presided over Friday's brief hearing, has given Abrego's attorneys until Wednesday to file a legal response. Supplemental-Memorandum-in-Support-of-Governments-Motion-for-Detention This story was originally published by Tennessee Lookout, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Federal prosecutors in Nashville ask judge to keep Abrego Garcia detained until trial
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security officer stood watch at the rear of the Fred D. Thompson Federal as Kilmar Abrego Garcia was brought to Tennessee on criminal charges. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Federal prosecutors on Monday detailed legal arguments for the detention-until-trial of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man mistakenly deported by the Trump Administration. Abrego Garcia was returned to Nashville from El Salvador on Friday to face two criminal human smuggling charges tied to a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop. He appeared briefly in a downtown Nashville courtroom late Friday, and is scheduled to return to court this upcoming Friday for a formal arraignment of the charges against him. That hearing will also consider a motion by the Justice Department to keep Abrego Garcia in custody until the date of his trial, which has not yet been set. A federal grand jury indictment issued under seal May 21 and made public June 6 charges Abrego Garcia with 'conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain' and 'unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.' Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador prison, to face federal charges in Nashville Abrego Garcia 'knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens' for profit between 2016 and 2025 as a member of the MS-13 gang, prosecutors said. Dumaka Shabazz, a federal public defender appointed to represent Garcia in the criminal case, declined comment on the charges Monday. 'At this date, we are not inclined to give a statement,' Shabazz said via email. The criminal charges stem from a November 2022 traffic stop in Putnam County by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, court records show. Abrego Garcia was driving an SUV with nine Hispanic men when he was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 40 in Putnam County, about 80 miles east of Nashville, court records said. He was not charged in the incident. Prosecutors now allege that further investigation revealed the stop involved Abrego Garcia smuggling migrants within the United States illegally. Abrego Garcia faces a potentially lengthy sentence: a maximum of ten years in prison for each person he allegedly transported. 'A stain on the Constitution': Abrego Garcia lawyers refuse to drop his case against U.S. A resident of Maryland until a prior traffic stop on March 12 this year, Abrego Garcia was dispatched within days to an El Salvador prison along with scores of other detainees. An immigrant from El Salvador, Abrego Garcia had received an immigration court order in 2019 that allowed him to reside in the United States and specifically barred the federal government from deporting him to El Salvador, where, he said, he feared gang violence. The prosecutors' memo seeking Abrego Garcia's detention until trial, filed in federal court Monday, alleges there is a 'serious risk' that Abrego Garcia 'and/or persons acting on his behalf will obstruct justice and/or intimidate the witnesses against him' should he be released from federal custody pending his trial. They also argued Abrego Garcia is a flight risk and a danger to the community. In their memo, prosecutors said they plan to raise allegations that children without legal immigration status were transported and 'used in unsafe ways' to avoid detection of Abrego Garcia's illegal smuggling activities. Abrego Garcia has not been charged with crimes involving the illegal transport of children. Prosecutors also acknowledged that, should Abrego Garcia be released pending trial, he would likely be immediately taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to face further proceedings in immigration court. Nevertheless, they argued that ,should he not be taken into ICE custody, Abrego Garcia would have an 'enormous reason to flee.' U.S. Magistrate Barbara Holmes, who presided over Friday's brief hearing, has given Abrego's attorneys until Wednesday to file a legal response. Supplemental Memorandum in Support of Government's Motion for Detention
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Chattanooga Eastdale site removed as future hospital site as Rep. Hakeem pushes back
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem said he felt like a site for a new state hospital for mental health was being "pushed on" him. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Tennessee officials are resuming the search for a mental health facility site to replace Moccasin Bend after dropping consideration of an Eastdale site in Chattanooga. The state Department of General Services removed the site from contention last week shortly before Democratic state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem was to hold a town hall to hear concerns about putting the mental health institute in an area of his House District 28. Hakeem opposed the site for a combination of reasons, including the impact of a mental health facility on people's properties, poor communication from the state and access by a two-lane road with no sidewalks. The 150-acre tract is bordered by a train track and quarry too. 'It's like they want to push it in my district,' Hakeem said, adding he and the community were 'ready to fight.' Hakeem said several other locations such as one near Erlanger Hospital and one on Amnicola Highway should be considered. The state might still be looking at two other pieces of property near Eastdale, but Hakeem does not oppose those. Tennessee Building Commission approves new Moccasin Bend Mental Health facility minus the site Department of General Services spokesperson Michelle Parks confirmed Monday the state is evaluating multiple sites in Hamilton County. She added that state law prevents the department from discussing sites under consideration. State Sen. Bo Watson, a Hixson Republican, said the state has looked at about 50 sites in Southeast Tennessee and will continue the search. At least 15 acres are needed for the hospital. Watson said the state 'never really evaluated' the Eastdale site because it was tied up with a development request through the local planning commission, then changed hands. 'Given the pushback and the concerns that the neighbors had, we never really got a chance to discuss it to any degree,' Watson said. No public hearings were held on the property, he added. The state built the mental health institute at Moccasin Bend along the Tennessee River in 1961 and planned to expand it there until advocates called for the area to be preserved as much as possible because of its Native American history. The area is the site of a national archeological district and part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The state had approved a Moccasin Bend expansion in 2023, but Gov. Bill Lee called for another location for the mental health facility because of the archeological review. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
