Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whose deportation to an infamous prison in El Salvador made his story a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, faces human trafficking charges after he was returned to the United States, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
Abrego Garcia made more than 100 trips to move illegal immigrants across the United States, Bondi said at a June 6 press conference.
“Thousands of illegal aliens were smuggled,” she said.
Abrego Garcia “traded the innocence of minor children for profit,” Bondi said.
Bondi links Abrego Garcia to a murder, but he isn’t charged
Bondi said a co-conspirator of Abrego Garcia’s had claimed he abused undocumented women, that he solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor, and that he “played a role” in the murder of a rival gang member’s mother.
Abrego Garcia was indicted on two charges of unlawful transport of undocumented immigrants for financial gain.
-Will Carless
Drug allegations
The indictment alleges Abrego Garcia also transported narcotics on more than 100 trips between Texas and Maryland. He also smuggled minors, court documents allege.
“Abrego Garcia… transported undocumented aliens in an unsafe manner, including using reconfigured vehicles with after-market unattached seating rows, and they transported children on the floorboards of vehicles in order to maximize profits,” the indictment alleges.
-Nick Penzenstadler
Mistaken deportation
Abrego Garcia was sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega prison on March 15 in a move officials would later call an administrative “error.” A 2019 court order barred his deportation to his native country due to security concerns.
Abrego Garcia will face federal human trafficking charges after a two-count indictment was filled in Tennessee in May.
“We should treat any of these charges with a high degree of suspicion and he should get a fair hearing in court because he isn’t getting one in the court of public opinion,” said Chris Newman, Legal Director at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which represents Abrego Garcia’s family.
Newman and Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Maryland, recently attempted to meet with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador and were denied access. Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, met with Abrego Garcia briefly in El Salvador.
“For months the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution,” Van Hollen said in statement issued June 6. “Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the United States. As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man, it’s about his constitutional rights – and the rights of all. The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along.”
What does Abrego Garcia’s indictment say?
A federal grand jury handed down the indictment on May 21 in Nashville, according to court records. The indictment was sealed until government lawyers filed to open it on Friday, June 6.
“From in or around 2016 through in or around 2025, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garica and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, conspired to bring undocumented aliens to the United States from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Ecuador, and elsewhere,” the indictment reads. “Ultimately passing through Mexico before crossing into Texas.”
The indictment alleges Abrego Garcia is a member and associate of the MS-13 gang, a claim his family has denied.
The indictment alleges Abrego Garcia also transported firearms illegally purchased in Texas for distribution and resale in Maryland. It alleges Abrego Garcia would take undocumented immigrants’ cell phones while being transported to ensure they would not contact anyone during the trip.
If convicted, Abrego Garcia would face 10 years in U.S. prison and a $250,000 fine.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kilmar Abrego Garcia charged with human trafficking after return to US
