Judge dismisses criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in human trafficking case

BREAKING NEWSMay. 22, 2026, 7:46 PM UTCImmigrationImmigrationJudge dismisses criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in human trafficking caseA federal judge wrote that the investigation against Abrego in Tennessee was reopened to justify the administration’s decision to deport him to El Salvador.Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. in June 2025, after being deported to El Salvador.Alex Wong / Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Gary GrumbachA federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday, finding that the investigation into Abrego’s alleged human trafficking was “tainted.” Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“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,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw wrote in his decision.Prosecutors in the Middle District of Tennessee were investigating him with the support of the Department of Justice in Washington.After Abrego was deported to El Salvador last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration had to work to bring him back. He was eventually returned to the U.S., and was immediately hit with human smuggling charges, based on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. He pleaded not guilty.Body camera video from a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer shows a calm exchange with Abrego after he was pulled over for speeding four years ago. There were nine passengers in the car, and the officers discussed their suspicions of smuggling among themselves. However, Abrego was eventually allowed to continue driving with only a warning.Crewshaw said Friday that federal authorities closed the investigation into the November traffic stop and only reopened it after Abrego was successful in his deportation case in federal court in Maryland.“What the Government labels as ‘new evidence...