{"id":2613,"date":"2026-05-22T20:39:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/22\/us-judge-dismisses-criminal-indictment-against-kilmar-abrego-garcia\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T20:39:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:39:40","slug":"us-judge-dismisses-criminal-indictment-against-kilmar-abrego-garcia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2613","title":{"rendered":"US judge dismisses criminal indictment against Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"67306463-83a5-4017-94b0-1f5543f49938\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a Chicago Bulls cap and navy hoodie looks upward with a serious expression\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1d584f1b0c2aa2f70fd64f7ed4df9baeb1ca125a\/219_0_5000_4000\/master\/5000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda on 12 December 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. <\/span> Photograph: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"67306463-83a5-4017-94b0-1f5543f49938\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda on 12 December 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. <\/span> Photograph: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">US judge dismisses criminal indictment against Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Judge said Trump administration would not have prosecuted \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda had he not challenged his high-profile deportation<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/feb\/17\/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A US judge dismissed a criminal indictment against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/kilmar-abrego-garcia\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda<\/a> on Friday, finding that the Trump administration would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his high-profile deportation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u00c1brego Garc\u00eda, who had entered the United States without authorization in the past, became a symbol of the Trump administration\u2019s drive for mass deportations when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/apr\/04\/maryland-deported-el-salvador-kilmar-abrego-garcia\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was sent<\/a> to the notorious anti-terrorism mega-prison in El Salvador known as Cecot last March. This was despite a prior court order barring him from being returned there because of a risk of persecution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The White House had taken a hard line against any notion of bringing \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda back to the US, but that did happen last June after the US supreme court ordered the administration to facilitate it. However, he was brought back only after prosecutors in the US secured a criminal indictment charging \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda with human smuggling. There was then talk from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> of him being deported to various countries in Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He pleaded not guilty in court and argued he was being prosecuted in retaliation for suing the government to be returned from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/el-salvador\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">El Salvador<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u00c1brego Garc\u00eda, 30, grew up in El Salvador and fled at age 16 because a local gang extorted and terrorised his family, court records state. He travelled to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/maryland\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Maryland<\/a>, where his brother lives as a US citizen, but was not authorised to stay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u00c1brego Garc\u00eda found work in construction and met his future wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura. In 2018, he moved in with her and her two children after she became pregnant with his child.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In March 2019, \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda went to a Home Depot seeking work as a laborer when he was detained by local police, court records state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>More details soon<\/em><em>\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Reuters contributed reporting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/kilmar-abrego-garcia\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/maryland\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Maryland<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/el-salvador\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">El Salvador<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/americas\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Americas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=US%20judge%20dismisses%20criminal%20indictment%20against%20Kilmar%20%C3%81brego%20Garc%C3%ADa&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/kilmar-abrego-garcia-case-dismissed?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F22%2Fkilmar-abrego-garcia-case-dismissed&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/kilmar-abrego-garcia-case-dismissed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kilmar \u00c1brego Garc\u00eda on 12 December 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images View image in fullscreen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}