Returned illegal Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty; judge yet to rule on pretrial custody

After astir six hours of grounds Friday, accused quality trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia is nary person to learning whether helium tin beryllium released from custody pending his national proceedings successful Nashville.

The pretrial proceeding began with Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants and conspiring with others to bash so, pleading not guilty.

Garcia’s ineligible squad told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes Friday it had clip to reappraisal the indictment and that Garcia understood what helium is accused of earlier helium formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 postulation stop.

The national transgression lawsuit against Abrego Garcia comes aft a high-profile, protracted ineligible combat implicit his deportation and the Trump administration's efforts to hold his instrumentality to the U.S., adjacent aft the Supreme Court ordered the medication to "facilitate" his release.

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A tribunal sketch of Kilmar Abrego Garcia during the archetypal time of a pretrial hearing (Paul Collins)

Abrego Garcia sat silently during the proceedings, wearing a reddish jumpsuit with an orangish undershirt, his regard mostly concentrated connected the prosecution and a model successful the courtroom. Abrego Garcia’s mother, member and woman were contiguous successful court, arsenic were members of the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which was helping with immoderate translations for the household and providing motivation support. 

During the hearing, the prosecution brought guardant Special Agent Peter Joseph, who told prosecutors helium was archetypal assigned to Abrego Garcia’s lawsuit successful April 2025, erstwhile Abrego Garcia was inactive detained successful El Salvador.

Since then, Joseph said, helium has reviewed footage from Abrego Garcia’s 2022 postulation stop, which has emerged arsenic the ground of the quality smuggling charges.

At the time, Joseph told prosecutors, Abrego Garcia had been driving a conveyance with 9 passengers and was pulled implicit portion traveling from St. Louis to Maryland with an expired license.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia with a translator (Paul Collins)

Six of the 9 passengers successful the conveyance person since been identified arsenic being successful the state illegally, Joseph said, adding 1 rider successful the van told officers helium was calved successful 2007, which would person made him conscionable 15 astatine the time.

Joseph said that, based connected evidence, Abrego Garcia was paid $1,000 per travel and that helium would transport 50 radical per month.

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In summation to the smuggling, Joseph alleged Abrego Garcia besides engaged successful inappropriate behaviour with underage girls helium was transporting, including a 15-year-old allegedly asked by Abrego Garcia to nonstop him nude photos.

During the defense’s cross-examination, however, it was noted that Joseph was not contiguous for immoderate of the interviews with pistillate sources, which led the defence to assertion his grounds was based connected hearsay and should beryllium thrown out. 

Holmes, however, allowed each the testimony, without striking anything. 

Full tribunal presumption from down Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura (Paul Collins)

Acting U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire besides discussed 2 protective orders filed by Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, successful 2020 and 2021, successful which she described him arsenic abusive and domineering. 

McGuire argued successful favour of Abrego Garcia remaining detained pending trial, saying helium poses a formation hazard and a information to the nationalist based connected what helium called a commonsense presumption of the road patrol postulation halt and the grounds presented successful tribunal of determination being superior concerns astir the proscription of minors.

However, Will Allensworth, a national nationalist defender representing Abrego Garcia, argued the grounds was disorganized and that it is unclear however overmuch of it was based connected hearsay. He claimed determination should beryllium nary interest astir Abrego Garcia being a formation hazard due to the fact that helium would spell consecutive into ICE custody. 

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Abrego Garcia successful court (Paul Collins)

Another nationalist defender, Dumaka Shabazz, argued the complaint being leveled is not a transgression of terrorism, which helium said intelligibly supports his release. Shabazz besides said Abrego Garcia has experienced trauma and slump owed to his deportation, has beardown ties to the assemblage and each of his loved ones are successful the U.S., truthful helium has nary inducement to flee.

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Holmes did not acceptable a day for the adjacent tribunal proceeding but said it volition beryllium determined soon.

Fox News Digital's Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.