A federal judge dismissed the criminal indictment against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday, ruling that the Trump administration likely would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his deportation in court.
Abrego, who entered the United States illegally, became a high-profile figure in the administration’s mass deportation push after he was sent to a megaprison in El Salvador in March 2025 despite an earlier court order prohibiting his removal there due to fears of persecution.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrives at the federal courthouse, Feb. 26, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The case escalated into a broader legal and political fight after the administration resisted efforts to return Abrego to the U.S. The Supreme Court later ordered the government to facilitate his return, leading federal authorities to bring him back in June 2025.
JUDGE KEEPS BLOCK ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EFFORT TO DEPORT KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA TO LIBERIA
