Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a construction worker hailing from Maryland, entered a plea of not guilty to charges of human trafficking at a federal court in Tennessee, with his legal team arguing that the allegations represent a thinly veiled pretext for his erroneous deportation to El Salvador in March, a deportation which they contend occurred unlawfully and which this case, initiated after a Supreme Court order mandating his return, amidst intensifying political pressure, seeks retroactively to legitimize.

Abrego Garcia's defense team has cast aspersions on the probity of the government's witnesses, alleging a quid pro quo arrangement wherein their cooperation was secured in exchange for leniency within immigration proceedings, allegations which stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee where Garcia, transporting nine passengers, aroused suspicions of human trafficking, despite which he was released with a mere admonishment.

Leading up to the trial, U.S. prosecutors aggressively portrayed Abrego Garcia as a grave menace to the community and a significant flight risk, levelling accusations of narcotics and arms trafficking, compounded by the exploitation of women he allegedly smuggled – allegations that precipitated the resignation of Ben Schrader, former Chief of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.