A federal judge on Friday dismissed the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, siding with the mistakenly deported man in finding that he was the subject of a likely vindictive prosecution.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw’s ruling marks an enormous victory for Abrego Garcia, whose case became a flash point in the administration’s heightened efforts to expel noncitizens from the United States after he was sent to his native El Salvador in violation of a court order.
“The Court does not reach its conclusion lightly,” wrote Crenshaw, an appointee of former President Obama who sits on the federal bench in Nashville, Tenn. “The objective evidence here shows that, absent Abrego’s successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution.”
Abrego Garcia was hit with two human smuggling charges last year stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, when he was pulled over for speeding and seen transporting men without luggage. He pleaded not guilty.