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· collected 2026-08-18 · by Camilo Montoya-Galvez
The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year. The case revolves around two counts of human smuggling from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. The government alleges that career prosecutors, not political motivations, drove the decision to indict Abrego Garcia. A federal judge had previously dismissed the charges due to concerns about vindictive prosecution.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A federal appeals court has been asked to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year. In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the indictment, ruling that the prosecution was vindictive and aimed at retaliating against Abrego Garcia for challenging his deportation to El Salvador. The Justice Department has now asked the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit to reverse this decision and reinstate the charges, arguing that there were multiple legitimate reasons to prosecute Abrego Garcia for allegedly smuggling immigrants in the US illegally. However, Abrego Garcia's defense team claims that the prosecution was indeed vindictive, and that the Justice Department is trying to cover up its own wrongdoing.
Written for “Abrego Garcia Court Case” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.70 for article 1053 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-08-25
The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration last year, by reversing
that found them to be vindictive in nature.
asserted
them → ask → nature
In May, a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a criminal indictment against Abrego Garcia, who had been accused by federal prosecutors of smuggling immigrants in the U.S. illegally.
uncertain
who → dismiss → U.S.
The judge found that the Justice Department prosecuted Abrego Garcia in retaliation for his efforts to challenge his wrongful deportation to El Salvador last year.
asserted
Department → find → Salvador
In a filing Monday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, the Justice Department denied that the prosecution was vindictive, arguing it had "multiple legitimate bases to prosecute" Abrego Garcia.
asserted
it → deny → Garcia
"The decision to seek an indictment against Abrego Garcia for human smuggling was made by career prosecutors based on the evidence, the law, and their firm belief that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garcia had committed the offenses charged," the Justice Department said in a news release.
asserted
Department → seek → release
The Justice Department argued that the court order from May "marks a dramatic expansion of the power of courts to dismiss serious criminal charges based on subjective assessments of a prosecutor's motivations."
uncertain
order → argue → motivations
In a statement to CBS News, Abrego Garcia's defense team called the Justice Department's news release "flat wrong," saying that "the indictment and prosecution of Abrego Garcia was, in fact, vindictive; the evidence before the district court established just that; and the proof was clear notwithstanding the DOJ's refusal to call the actual decision makers, including AG [Todd] Blanche, to testify under oath."
"This case was initiated vindictively and on instructions from the White House after our client successfully won his
," his defense team added.
asserted
team → call → his
Abrego Garcia was
with two counts of human smuggling stemming from a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where he was pulled over by state Highway Patrol and was found to have numerous people in his vehicle.
asserted
he → stem → vehicle
He had pleaded not guilty.
asserted
He → plead → ?
Abrego Garcia is also involved in a separate federal court case in Maryland around the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to deport him.
asserted
Garcia → involve → him
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said it is seeking to deport him to the African nation of Liberia, but a federal judge has blocked that for now.
asserted
judge → say → that
