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Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national deported earlier this year, is now back on U.S. soil — but this time, in handcuffs.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday that Abrego Garcia, age 29, has arrived in the United States and is scheduled to face federal charges related to human smuggling and conspiracy.
“Abrego Garcia has landed in the United States to face justice,” Bondi stated. “A grand jury from the Middle District of Tennessee issued a sealed indictment against him for alien smuggling and conspiracy.”
The indictment asserts that Garcia played a “significant role” in a human smuggling operation that had been active for nearly ten years. Bondi characterized him as a dedicated smuggler who completed over 100 trips, transporting women, children, and individuals affiliated with the MS-13 gang across the United States.
This development comes after controversy erupted in March when Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador, a move many politicians on the Left claimed was unjust.
“For months the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution. Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States,” wrote Democrate Senator Van Hollen in a statement.
Van Hollen made the trek to El Salvador to visit Garcia earlier this year, sparking internet backlash after being photographed with purported margaritas at a restaurant.
“As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, it’s about his constitutional rights – and the rights of all. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along,” Van Hollen concluded.
Abrego Garcia was reportedly sent to the notorious CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador after deportation, despite a 2019 court order temporarily blocking his removal due to claimed fears of persecution.
Court records show Garcia entered the U.S. illegally in 2011 and was ordered deported in 2019.
He will be prosecuted and, if convicted, serve his sentence in the U.S. before being returned to El Salvador, officials confirmed.
“Today, the United States of America confronts Kilmar Abrego Garcia with overwhelming evidence— he is being indicted by a grand jury for human smuggling, including children, and conspiracy. Justice awaits this Salvadoran man.”
Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
