May 23, 2026, 9:18 amMay 23, 2026, 9:18 am
One of the most well-known victims of US President Donald Trump’s rigorous deportation policy has won a victory in court. A federal judge in Tennessee dismissed a U.S. lawsuit against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, court records show.
He was accused of being involved in a conspiracy to transport migrants between 2016 and 2025 and of transporting migrants without valid residence documents during a traffic stop in 2022.
Garcia, however, alleged that the lawsuit had been used selectively and vindictively against him after he successfully sued against his deportation to El Salvador.
Investigations have already been completed
According to court documents, Garcia was noticed during a traffic stop in 2022. In 2025 he was arrested in the US state of Maryland. A short time later he was illegally deported to El Salvador and investigators closed the files.
Garcia is from the country and was taken to a notorious maximum security prison as part of a larger group of migrants. After a long legal tug-of-war, he was returned to the United States in June 2025. At the same time, the investigations against the man, which had already ended, were resumed, which then led to the lawsuit.
“Abuse of law enforcement powers”
The court found that there was insufficient evidence of actual vindictiveness – but the government did not rebut this presumption.
At the same time, the court spoke of an abuse of law enforcement powers. The government would therefore not have initiated criminal proceedings against Garcia if he had remained outside the country.
The case has become a symbol of controversial US deportation policy
Abrego Garcia’s case exemplifies a larger debate about the Trump administration’s approach to deportations. At the core of the matter is the question of whether those affected were given sufficient legal hearing beforehand. (sda/dpa)