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Here’s where things stand on Saturday 7 June 2025:
- A man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March has been returned to the US to face federal criminal charges
- Kilmar Ábrego García has been accused of participating in a trafficking conspiracy over several years
- At a press conference on Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed he had landed in the US
- Ábrego García played a “significant role” in smuggling illegal immigrants on more than 100 trips throughout the country, Bondi says
- His lawyer calls the charges “preposterous”, adding: “What happened today is an abuse of power”
Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US facing smuggling charges
Kilmar Ábrego García is set to appear in court later today after being returned to the US to face immigrant smuggling charges.
Here are where things stand currently:
- The 29-year-old is set to be charged with “alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling” after a grand jury indictment
- The US Attorney General Pam Bondi says Ábrego García is “a danger to our community”
- Ábrego García’s lawyers say they and his family learned about his return “on ABC News,” and called the charges against him “preposterous”
- The White House says his return has nothing to do with his mistaken deportation and say he’s only come back to the US because “a new investigation has revealed crimes SO HEINOUS…only the American Justice System could hold him fully accountable”
- His wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, feels “mixed emotions” – his lawyer says. She says Vasquez Sura is happy that he is back on US soil, although it’s under “very egregious” circumstances
- Ábrego García’s return will reveal details about his treatment at the notorious El Salvador prison Cecot, another of his lawyers says
Here is what US politicians are saying about the case
US politicians have been divided in their response to the return of Ábrego García. Democrats cast it as a victory for due process while Republicans commented on the smuggling charges announced by prosecutors against him.
Maryland’s US Senator Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, said Ábrego García “should not have been deported. Even the Supreme Court demanded this President follow the law and return him to the U.S. It is right that due process will be afforded to him.”
Fellow Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett of Missouri said of the return: “The GOP broke the law to deport this man—then decided to indict him … This is Trump’s America: lawless, reckless, and cruel.”
Republican Alabama Senator Katie Britt reposted a version of the charges against Ábrego García She added: This is who Democrats are fighting for. This is who Senate Republicans are fighting to protect American families from.”
Republican Representative Brandon Gill of Texas said this was part of a Democrat strategy.
“Liberals want illegal aliens to stay in our country and be given amnesty, so that they can then vote Democrat.”
Glenn Ivey, a Democrat from Maryland, rebuffed the accusations and said advocacy for Ábrego García’s return wasn’t about him personally. “I went to El Salvador and advocated for Kilmar’s return because he was entitled to due process under our constitution,” he said. “Kilmar will now get his day in court. I hope he receives the fair trial that he is guaranteed.”
Analysis: The White House is hitting two birds with one stone
The Justice Department says Kilmar Ábrego García’s return today makes moot the standing legal challenges to return him.
A cloud has been hanging over the Trump administration since US courts ordered them to bring Ábrego García back to the United States. President Trump stonewalled the order, which pushed the country toward a constitutional crisis.
By bringing Ábrego García back for the purpose of prosecution, Trump avoids the appearance that he’s bending to the court’s demands while also resolving the legal stalemate.
At the same time, we saw the White House daring Democrats and the so-called “fake news media” to defend the man that they are accusing of being a violent human trafficker and an abuser of women and children.
However, Trump’s critics have been reminding the White House that the matter was never about whether Ábrego García is guilty of crimes – it has been about him getting a chance to defend himself and being given due process in the US courts.
President Trump on case: ‘It’s a disaster…this was a pretty bad guy’
We’re now getting some comments from President Trump about Ábrego García’s return.
Speaking to the press, Trump declines to say if he had spoken to the president of El Salvador to facilitate the return, or whether it was his own call.
“He should have never have had to be returned, if you take a look at what they found in the grand jury,” Trump says.
“It’s a disaster, a whole disaster when you look at him with his antics. For the Democrats who backed him, this was not the man from Maryland,” the president continues.
“This was a pretty bad guy,” Trump adds.
Ábrego García’s attorney tells BBC that he and his family are ‘everyday people’ who are being politicised
Chris Newman, one of the attorneys for Ábrego García and his family, is speaking with the BBC and outlines they are relieved in a way that at least he is back in the US and now the government will be forced to prove their case. He says Ábrego García will have the chance now to “defend himself” both in court and in public opinion.
“Kilmar and his family are just everyday people,” he says. “To be the subject of this type of cruelty and this type of politicalisation and scapegoating is something that one could not imagine.”
He said the right to due process is integral to the US courts system and argues the Trump administration was demonising immigrants as a way of “arrogating authoritarian power”. He said this type of case has implications for everyone.
White House deputy chief of staff says ‘new evidence’ brought Garcia back
The White House’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, has written a number of posts on X within the last hour about the case.
In one, he reposts the Van Hollen statement we brought you earlier.
Responding, Miller writes: “There is no more ‘process’ for deporting a crim alien with a final removal order, no matter how much he is admired by Dems. He’s here because new evidence has resulted in a massive criminal indictment.
“He will be tried, jailed and then deported again to El Salvador.”
Sharing a separate post detailing a previous court motion, Miller calls Garcia a “monster” and an “illegal predator”.
As a reminder, Miller had been one of the architects of Trump’s immigration policies, including the travel ban during Trump’s first term in office.
Judge ordered some documents relating to case to be made public earlier this week
The return of Garcia today follows shortly after a federal judge ordered certain documents relating to the case to be unsealed earlier this week, external.
The order was filed on Wednesday by District Judge Paula Xinis in response to a motion brought by a number of different media outlets to unseal court records relating to the case. One of the documents will still have redactions.
The United States Department of Homeland Security had put forward arguments of national security and preventing the dissemination of national security.
Ábrego García’s return has ‘nothing to do with’ mistaken deportation – White House
More now from the White House, where the deputy press secretary has said Ábrego García’s return has “nothing to do with his original deportation”.
“There was no mistake,” Abigail Jackson continues in a post on X.
She adds: “He’s returning because a new investigation has revealed crimes SO HEINOUS, committed in the US, that only the American Justice System could hold him fully accountable.”
- As a reminder: The Trump administration previously admitted the 29-year-old’s deportation was an “administrative error”.
Ábrego García’s wife has ‘mixed emotions’, lawyer says
Ama Frimpong is up again, who says Ábrego García’s family were not told about his return to the US in advance and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura learned about it in the press.
She says Vasquez Sura feels “mixed emotions” – she is happy that he is back on US soil, although its under “very egregious” circumstances.
“He should not be held in a prison in Tennessee,” she adds, but at home with his family.
It’s “imperative that communication be established immediately,” says Frimpong, adding that she wants to hear her husband’s voice.
Legal team says they learnt of charges in the media
Simon Sandoval Moshenburg says he and the rest of Ábrego García’s legal team learnt of the new charges against their client and his return to the US “just like everyone else” – on ABC News.
He says he understands there will be a hearing this afternoon and a longer hearing at a later date.
Ábrego García reportedly in good health
Mosheburg now tells those listening that lawyers have not had any updates regarding Ábrego García’s physical and mental wellbeing – but that the latest report was that he was in good health.
A little earlier, lawyers said “bad treatment” he suffered while in jail in El Salvador will now come to light.
Ábrego García will reveal experience in notorious prison, lawyer says
Moshenberg says Ábrego García’s return will reveal details about his treatment in El Salvador.
He says he is confident Ábrego García will not be convicted, but even if he is, a judge’s order still prevents him from being returned to El Salvador.
Moshenberg continues that Ábrego García is one of the first people to leave Cecot, the notorious prison in El Salvador where he was being held.
The revelations will “strengthen his case that he can’t be sent back to that prison where he will be tortured,” he says.
“It’s going to be very interesting to hear how the Trump administration can justify sending people to that prison once Kilmar call tell people about the experiences that he suffered there.”
Lawyers concerned about Ábrego García’s constitutional rights
We’re now hearing from Chris Newman, one of the family’s lawyers.
He says the Trump administration has lodged a case in the court of public opinion, presenting “no evidence” of allegations against him, and that he is concerned Ábrego García may not get a fair trial.
He adds that he is particularly concerned his constitutional rights are not being respected.
Newman goes on to say the White House is treating Ábrego García “the same way” it treats “all non-white immigrants – as if guilty until proven innocent”.
‘Let him talk to his wife and children’, lawyer urges
Next up is Ama Frimpong, another of Ábrego García’s lawyers, who says he needs to have contact with his family.
For three months his wife and children have been wondering when their loved one will come home, she says.
She adds that the government is still “delaying reunification”, still “play[ing] games”.
“Let him talk to his wife and children,” she continues, adding that the family has “suffered enough”.
Ábrego García charges are ‘preposterous’, lawyer says
Kilmar Ábrego García’s lawyers are now responding to his return to the US to face criminal charges.
Simon Sandoval Moshenberg starts first, calling the events an “abuse of power” and the “exact opposite” of due process. He says Ábrego García should have been allowed due process before he was punished and sent abroad.
This matter could have “gone away” had the Trump administration admitted it made a mistake in deporting Ábrego García in the first place, he says.
He calls the charges “preposterous”.
He says Ábrego García will vigorously defend himself.
‘The administration had the ability to bring him back’ – Ábrego García’s lawyerpublished at 23:02 6 June23:02 6 June
“Today’s action proves what we’ve known all along – that the administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so,” Ábrego García’s lawyer Andrew Rossman has said in a statement according to the Reuters news agency.
His attorneys are planning a news conference that is set to begin in a moment.
His lawyers have previously argued that he has never been convicted of any criminal offence, including gang membership, in the US or in El Salvador.
His wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, has also denied he is a MS-13 gang member and described him as “a loving partner and father”.
Although since he was deported it came to light that Sura had filed a protective order petition against him in 2021, alleging that he had physically attacked her on multiple occasions. She said in a later statement that she had decided not to follow through with the court process at the time.
El Salvador president: No more margaritas under custodypublished at 23:00 6 June23:00 6 June
President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has written on X following the news about Garcia’s return.
He says:
As I said in the Oval Office: 1. I would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States. 2. I would never release a gang member onto the streets of El Salvador. That said, we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn’t refuse. No more margaritas under custody
Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador
The mention of margaritas is a nod to when Democratic Sen Van Hollen visited Ábrego García in the country. The senator said members of El Salvador’s government facilitated the visit and he accused them of setting up some type of tropical drink in front of them during the visit. The senator said neither he or Ábrego García ordered or drank them.
This is not about the man, it’s about his constitutional rights’ – Sen Van Hollen
Senator Chris Van Hollen – who visited Kilmar Ábrego García in El Salvador in April – has released a statement now that he has returned.
“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,” he says.
The Maryland senator continues: “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.”
White House: Ábrego García to meet ‘full force of American justice’
The White House press secretary has just released a statement about the indictment against Ábrego García. She says the charges prove “the unhinged Democrat Party was wrong, and their stenographers in the Fake News Media were once again played like fools”.
In a statement on X, Karoline Leavitt calls him an “illegal alien terrorist, gang member, and human trafficker”.
She says he will now return to the US to “meet the full force of American justice”.
Here’s what we know so far
In the past few hours, news of the return of Maryland man Kilmar Ábrego García – who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador – began circulating.
Since then, Attorney General Pam Bondi has given an update. She says:
- Kilmar Ábrego Garcia has “landed in the United States to face justice”
- He will be charged with “alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling” after a grand jury indictment
- After Ábrego García serves his sentence in the US – if convicted of any crimes – he will then return to El Salvador, which was agreed with El Salvador’s president
- Bondi says the grand jury found that Ábrego García had played a “significant role” in an alien smuggling ring
- “These facts demonstrate Ábrego García is a danger to our community,” she says, after claiming – without evidence – that co-conspirators allege he was involved in a murder
Bondi links case to fight against MS-13 gangpublished at 22:34 6 June22:34 6 June
Bondi says that Ábrego García’s charges deal with allegations of smuggling, but links his actions to those of MS-13 – an international criminal gang she says the Trump administration is fighting against.
She says the US government learned through the recent arrest of an MS-13 member in Virginia (unrelated to Abrego Garcia’s case) that they “bring young children” into the United States and groom them to commit “violent crimes throughout our country”.
Quote Message
[MS-13] is highly organised, it is very dangerous, and they are living throughout our country – but no more, because they are being arrested, they are being prosecuted and being convicted and deported when appropriate.
Pam Bondi, US Attorney General
Ábrego García’s return to the US is only due to indictment – DOJ
Ábrego García’s return to the US is only due to indictment – DOJ
Bondi is asked whether Garcia’s return is linked to different courts ordering the administration help facilitate Garcia getting back to the US.
Todd Blanche, a former lawyer to Trump and now deputy attorney general, takes this one.
He says there is a “big difference between the state of play before and after the indictment”.
Garcia was returned because there was an arrest warrant presented to the government in El Salvador, Blanche tells the news conference.
“So there’s a big difference there,” Blanche says.
If convicted, Ábrego García will serve sentence in US – Bondi
A grand jury in Tennessee indicted Abrego Garcia on May 21, Bondi continues, and says “this investigation has been ongoing”.
The indictment decision came months after Ábrego García was deported in March.
Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer who is now with the Department of Justice, steps in to answer a question about Abrego Garcia’s deportation and now return. He explains Abrego Garcia was brought back to the US because there is now an arrest warrant for him.
Bondi says that Ábrego García will be prosecuted in the US. If convicted, he will serve his sentence in the US and then be returned to El Salvador.
Bondi alleges he trafficked weapons, drugs into US
Bondi goes on to claim that Ábrego García trafficked weapons and narcotics into the US.
She adds that a co-conspirator alleges he was involved in the murder of a rival gang member’s mother and a separate allegation that Ábrego García allegedly solicited naked photos of a minor. Bondi does not provide evidence of these claims and he is not facing charges related to those allegations.
“These facts demonstrate Ábrego García is a danger to our community,” she says.
Bondi alleges Ábrego García played ‘significant role’ in smuggling ring
Bondi continues to say that the grand jury found that Ábrego García had played a “significant role” in an alien smuggling ring.
She says they found it was his “full time job” and alleges that he had made more than 100 trips smuggling people throughout the country – bringing in thousands of illegal immigrants to the US, Bondi says.
Attorney General says Ábrego García will serve sentence in US if convicted
US Attorney General Pam Bondi thanks the President of El Salvador for helping return Ábrego García to the US.
She then says after Ábrego García serves his sentence in the US – if convicted of any crimes – he will then return to El Salvador.
Ábrego García has landed in the US, Attorney General announces
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has “landed in the United States to face justice”, US Attorney General Pam Bondi says, beginning a news conference.
He will be charged with “alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling” after a grand jury indictment, she says.
Who is Kilmar Ábrego García?
Ábrego García, 29, came to the US from El Salvador illegally around 2011.
In 2019, he was arrested with three other men in the US state of Maryland and detained by federal immigration authorities.
A judge granted him protection from deportation on the grounds that he might be at risk of persecution from gangs in his home country.
Ábrego García was living with his wife and child under this protected legal status in Maryland until he was deported on 15 March this year to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot prison, in what the Trump administration admitted was an “administrative error”.
At the same time, the US government alleges he is a “verified” member of the violent El Salvador gang MS-13 – claims that his lawyer denies.
Kilmar Ábrego García on way back to US, media reportspublished at 21:57 6 June21:57 6 June
Kilmar Ábrego García – a 29-year-old from El Salvador who was deported from the US in March – is on his way back to the US, media reports.
He is reportedly going to face criminal changes when he returns.
Ábrego García faced a legal battle in the courts, which ultimately reached the US Supreme Court, over whether the US government should help “facilitate” his return to his home in Maryland.
The White House, which accused him of being a member of the transnational Salvadorian gang MS-13, a designated foreign terrorist organisation has not yet confirmed his return.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest.