Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been a thorn in Donald Trump’s side since he was detained and deported by ICE.
His deportation was litigated, which Trump lost, and he was ordered by the courts to bring Garcia back home.
Now, a judge has ordered the administration to release Garcia outright.
Even with the Supreme Court weighing in, saying the administration needed to facilitate Garcia’s return, the Trump administration was dragging its feet.
After the administration claimed it had evidence that supported Garcia was working as a human trafficker, it finally put the wheels in motion to bring Garcia back so the DOJ could charge and prosecute him on these alleged crimes.
Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that a grand jury had “found that over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring.”
So, the administration decided to bring him back, but it wanted to hold him while he awaited trial.
Garcia’s attorneys immediately went on the attack against the administration, claiming the government was putting on a show to leave him in El Salvador when it easily could have brought him back at any time.
His attorneys claimed, “(T)he Government has always had the ability to return Abrego Garcia, but it has simply refused to do so,” adding that the administration “engaged in an elaborate, all-of-government effort to defy court orders, deny due process, and disparage Abrego Garcia.”
The statement continued, “The executive branch’s wanton disregard for the judicial branch has left a stain on the Constitution.
“If there is to be any hope of removing that stain, it must start by shining a light on the improper actions of the Government in this tragic affair and imposing meaningful remedies.”
This weekend, the administration was dealt a crushing blow, with a federal judge ordering that Garcia be set free while awaiting his trial.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes denied the DOJ’s request to hold Garcia, so we can expect this ruling to be immediately appealed.
According to Holmes, Garcia does not pose an irremediable danger to the community, so there is no need for him to be held in custody while he awaits his trial.
Democrats have rallied behind Garcia, and I am sure their cries will only get louder with this decision. I have said before that this case will make or break one party. The GOP is at risk if the charges fall through, and Dems are at risk if they are found to have sympathized with a human trafficker employed by the cartels, who is possibly a gang member. While this case has been quiet, it could be the case that decides the 2026 mid-term elections and the 2028 presidential election.