Returned Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia arraigned on federal human trafficking charges in Tennessee

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian migrant who was erroneously deported to El Salvador before being returned to the U.S. to face federal prosecution last week, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of human trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Garcia’s legal team told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes on Friday that they have had time to review the indictment, and Garcia understands what he is accused of, before he formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 traffic stop.

Abrego Garcia is charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants, and conspiring with others to do so.

The criminal case against Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member, comes after a high-profile, protracted legal fight over his deportation and the Trump administration's efforts to delay his return to the U.S., even after the Supreme Court ordered the administration to "facilitate" h...