Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national previously deported from the United States, has returned to face criminal charges related to human smuggling, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday. The development marks a significant turn in a case that has drawn considerable attention and political advocacy from the left.
Abrego Garcia, who has been accused of domestic abuse and is suspected of ties to the MS-13 gang, was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in March and deported to El Salvador.
Upon his return to his home country, he was initially placed in the Terrorism Confinement Center, a high-security facility designated for gang members.
His deportation, however, ignited outrage among Democrats, who contended it was unjustified given his prior protection under withholding of removal granted by an immigration judge. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen visited El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s return, a cause later supported by a group of House Democrats.
The Trump administration, in contrast, defended the deportation, citing local law enforcement concerns in Maryland regarding his possible MS-13 affiliation and previous domestic abuse allegations from his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura.
Legal expert Alan Dershowitz appeared on Newsmax Friday to discuss Abrego Garcia’s return, expressing his view that the decision may prove costly. During an appearance on “The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” Dershowitz stated, “I think it was a big mistake for him and his supporters to try to bring him back to the country. He’ll regret that.”
READ: Kilmar Abrego Garcia Returns To U.S. To Face Human Smuggling Charges
Dershowitz suggested that Abrego Garcia’s best course of action would have been to accept deportation to a safer country.
“His best chance for freedom would have been to accept deportation to a safer country. He specifically mentioned Argentina as a potential destination that could have avoided the risks associated with returning to the U.S.” he said. “Just don’t send me to a country that poses danger. Send me to Argentina.’ He might have won that case, and he would be a free man. Now he’s going to, if he’s convicted, spend a lot of time in prison, and he’s going to wish he had been deported.”
Dershowitz further commented that Abrego Garcia’s supporters might not have acted in his best interests by encouraging his return.
“When backers support people, they don’t always serve the best interest of people. Because they have a narrative. They have an ideology that they’re serving. The best interests of this man probably would have been served by not coming back to the country,” he concluded.
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The human smuggling charges stem from a 2022 incident on a Tennessee highway.
Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol on suspicion of human smuggling after officers discovered he was transporting eight passengers without any visible luggage.
The vehicle he was driving was reportedly registered to Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, an undocumented migrant who was sentenced to prison for human smuggling in 2020.
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