Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a construction worker from Maryland, has pleaded not guilty to charges of human smuggling in a federal court in Tennessee. His lawyers say the charges are an attempt to excuse his incorrect deportation to El Salvador in March. The case started after the Supreme Court ordered him to return, due to increasing pressure. Abrego Garcia's defense team questioned the truthfulness of government witnesses, suggesting they cooperated to get immigration favors. The charges come from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where Abrego Garcia was driving nine passengers, which made authorities suspect smuggling. Despite these suspicions, he was allowed to leave with only a warning. Before the hearing, U.S. attorneys described Abrego Garcia as a threat to the community and a flight risk, accusing him of selling drugs and weapons, and mistreating women he transported. These charges caused Ben Schrader, the former head of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office, to resign.