Federal Judge Orders Hearing on Alleged ‘Vindictive’ Smuggling Charges Against Salvadoran National
Federal Judge Orders Hearing on Alleged ‘Vindictive’ Smuggling Charges Against Salvadoran National A federal judge has mandated an evidentiary hearing to investigate whether the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on human smuggling charges constitutes illegal retaliation. The ruling, issued late Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw, suggests that the charges may be a vindictive response after Abrego Garcia successfully challenged his deportation by the Trump administration. Judge Crenshaw highlighted several factors raising “cause for concern,”…