Kilmar Ábrego García, a suspected MS-13 gang member wrongfully deported to El Salvador, has returned to the U.S. to face criminal charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.
García is accused of running a decade-long human smuggling operation transporting thousands of undocumented immigrants, including minors and suspected MS-13 members, from Texas across the U.S.
Bukele and Trump are complicit in an illegal scheme to use US taxpayer dollars to ship people to El Salvador in violation of their constitutional rights.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) June 13, 2025
Today we introduced sanctions against the Bukele regime to fight this cash-for-collusion deal & assault on our Constitution: pic.twitter.com/3qEmEqhowc
A sealed federal indictment was returned on May 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. His arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT before Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes.
The Justice Department’s move follows mounting legal pressure after courts found García’s deportation violated a 2019 judicial order. His attorneys argue the return proves the Trump administration could have complied all along.
Bondi credited El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for facilitating García’s return. If convicted, García may be deported after serving his sentence. The case has stirred political controversy, especially after Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, publicly defended him.
