Kilmar Ábrego García, the Salvadoran man erroneously deported by the Trump administration earlier this year, returned to the United States on Friday to face federal charges of human smuggling and conspiracy.
A federal grand jury in Tennessee indicted Ábrego García, 29, accusing him of playing a "significant role" in a smuggling operation that transported undocumented immigrants across the U.S. for nearly a decade, according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"Our government presented El Salvador with an arrest warrant, and they agreed to return him to face these serious charges," Bondi said at a press briefing, thanking Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for his cooperation.
Ábrego García, whose wife and young child in Maryland are U.S. citizens, appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening. His arraignment is scheduled for June 13, and he will remain in custody until then.
Ábrego García’s case has drawn national attention, highlighting tensions between the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies and judicial oversight.
In March, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported him to El Salvador despite a federal protection order shielding him from removal due to fears of gang persecution. The Trump administration later acknowledged the deportation was an "administrative error" but continued to label him an MS-13 gang member—a claim his family and lawyers vehemently deny.
After his deportation, his family filed a lawsuit, prompting U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis to order the government to facilitate his return. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling in April, stating that his case should proceed as if he had never been deported.
His attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, accused the administration of manipulating the legal process.
"They disappeared him to a foreign prison in violation of a court order," Sandoval-Moshenberg told The Hill. "Now, after months of delay, they’re bringing him back not to correct their error but to prosecute him. This is an abuse of power, not justice."
The indictment alleges Ábrego García coordinated with at least five others to smuggle immigrants into the U.S., making over 100 trips between Texas and Maryland from 2016 to 2025. Prosecutors also claim he transported firearms and drugs, linking one of his associates to a 2021 tractor-trailer crash in Mexico that killed 50 migrants.
Sandoval-Moshenberg dismissed the charges as "fantastical," arguing they rely on testimony from individuals facing prosecution or already imprisoned. "I want to know what they offered those people," he said.
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, defended the decision to bring Ábrego García back, saying, "The man has a horrible past, and I could see a decision being made: bring him back, show everybody how horrible this guy is."
The case has become a flashpoint in the debate over immigration enforcement. Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who visited Ábrego García in El Salvador, have criticized the administration’s handling of the matter.
"The administration will now have to make its case in court, as it should have all along," Van Hollen said in a statement Friday. "This is about constitutional rights—and the rights of all."
If convicted, Ábrego García could be deported after serving any sentence imposed. For now, his legal team is preparing to challenge what they call a politically motivated prosecution.
"This isn’t justice," Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "It’s retribution."