Judge tosses Kilmar Abrego Garcia charges, calls Trump administration prosecution 'vindictive'

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Published 5/22/2026, 8:37:38 PM · Updated 5/23/2026, 12:16:07 AMBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team

Judge tosses Kilmar Abrego Garcia charges, calls Trump administration prosecution 'vindictive'

Key points

  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia leaves a check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office the day after a federal judge ordered his release from a detention in Pennsylvania, on Dec.
  • 12, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • A federal judge in Tennessee on Friday dismissed human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant whose mistaken deportation by the Trump administration became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's broader immigration crackdown.
  • U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled that the Justice Department's prosecution of Abrego Garcia was "vindictive," finding that the government would not have brought the case had he not challenged his deportation.
  • "Then-Attorney General Robert H.

Published May 22, 2026.

Quick Summary

Kilmar Abrego Garcia leaves a check-in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Office the day after a federal judge ordered his release


📌 Source: CNBC

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