Kilmar Abrego Garcia, un obrero de la construcción radicado en Maryland, negó rotundamente ante un tribunal federal de Tennessee los cargos de trata de personas que se le imputan, mientras su defensa alega que la acusación constituye un subterfugio para legitimar su previa e improcedente deportación a El Salvador el pasado marzo.

The genesis of the case traces back to a Supreme Court mandate for his repatriation, issued amidst intensifying clamour, with Abrego Garcia's legal team impugning the veracity of the government's witnesses, alleging quid pro quo arrangements involving immigration concessions for their cooperation.

The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, wherein Abrego Garcia was conveying nine passengers, thereby instigating law enforcement's suspicion of human trafficking, despite which he was ultimately released with a mere admonition.

Prior to the hearing, U.S. prosecutors meticulously depicted Abrego Garcia as a significant menace to the community and a high flight risk, levelling accusations of narcotics and arms trafficking, compounded by the exploitation of vulnerable women under his transportation; these indictments precipitated the resignation of Ben Schrader, erstwhile chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee.