Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday that if Kilmar Abrego Garcia is released from a Tennessee jail, the Trump administration intends to initiate deportation proceedings against him to a country other than his home nation of El Salvador.
When questioned by U.S. Magistrate Judge Paula Xinis regarding the timeframe for this removal—whether it would occur in “30 seconds or 30 days or 30 months”—a federal prosecutor responded that the removal was not “imminent.”
Judge Xinis has set a hearing for this case on July 7. Additionally, the Justice Department revealed on Thursday evening that Abrego Garcia is set to stand trial on charges of smuggling.
“This defendant has been charged with horrific crimes, including trafficking children, and will not walk free in our country again,” a Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration maintains that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that he denies. In addition, his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed a protective order against her husband in August 2020.
The order said their shared son and stepchildren needed protection from Abrego Garcia, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children.
Earlier this month, Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty to smuggling charges.
