Latest Breaking News

BumRushDaShow

(172,568 posts) Fri May 22, 2026, 03:19 PM Friday

US judge dismisses indictment against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego

Source: Reuters

May 22, 2026 3:02 PM EDT Updated 5 mins ago

NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge dismissed an indictment against Salvadoran ‌migrant Kilmar Abrego on Friday, finding that the Trump administration would not have prosecuted him had he not challenged his deportation.

Abrego, who entered the ⁠United States illegally, became a symbol of the Trump administration's drive for mass deportations when he was sent to a megaprison in El Salvador in March despite a prior court order barring him from being returned there because of a ‌risk ⁠of persecution.

The Trump administration brought Abrego back to the U.S. in June after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the government to ⁠facilitate his return. His return came only after prosecutors secured a criminal indictment charging Abrego ⁠with human smuggling.

Abrego pleaded not guilty and argued he was being prosecuted ⁠in retaliation for suing the government to be returned.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-judge-dismisses-indictment-against-salvadoran-migrant-kilmar-abrego-2026-05-22/

Just breaking.

Link to ORDER (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104622/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104622.312.0.pdf

REFERENCES (most recent/relevant)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143622799
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143622891
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143648213

15 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

US judge dismisses indictment against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Friday OP

This makes me smile LetMyPeopleVote Friday #1

Abrego is their own self inflicted thorn underpants Friday #2

Does this mean the poor guy has protection from being deported? 70sEraVet Friday #3

One can only hope, but give these mfers a few days. the nelm Friday #13

Here is a link to the opinion LetMyPeopleVote Friday #4

That's Tennessee. What about the court in Greenbelt, Maryland? mahatmakanejeeves Friday #5

The criminal charges were pending in Teenessee LetMyPeopleVote Friday #6

Judge drops criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garca, ruling it vindictive LetMyPeopleVote Friday #8

The claims had been that both parties had at some point agreed that he would be willing to be deported to Costa Rica BumRushDaShow Friday #10

If anybody deserves money from Trump's slush fund rurallib Friday #7

Judge drops criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garca, ruling it vindictive LetMyPeopleVote Friday #9

An extraordinary rebuke of Todd Blanche and his Justice Dept. LetMyPeopleVote Friday #11

Donny must have soiled himself big time Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Friday #12

Thank god for their big fat incompetent mouths. Hassin Bin Sober Friday #14

Deadline Legal Blog-Judge dismisses Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal indictment as vindictive by Trump DOJ LetMyPeopleVote Sunday #15

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

1. This makes me smile

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:26 PM

Friday

BREAKING: The judge has DISMISSED the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on vindictive and selective prosecution grounds! A MAJOR win for Mr. Abrego. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
— Mueller, She Wrote (@muellershewrote.com) 2026-05-22T19:09:15.136Z

underpants

(197,281 posts)

2. Abrego is their own self inflicted thorn

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:26 PM

Friday

Good. They clearly were trying to get rid of him and make an example out of him.

70sEraVet

(5,640 posts)

3. Does this mean the poor guy has protection from being deported?

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:30 PM

Friday

the nelm

(302 posts)

13. One can only hope, but give these mfers a few days.

Reply to 70sEraVet (Reply #3)

Fri May 22, 2026, 09:30 PM

Friday

I'm sure they'll try and conjure up some other bs to go after him with. Trump and his goons are nothing if not vindictive after all.

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

4. Here is a link to the opinion

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:32 PM

Friday

Link to tweet

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104622/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104622.312.0.pdf

mahatmakanejeeves

(70,909 posts)

5. That's Tennessee. What about the court in Greenbelt, Maryland?

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Reply #4)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:35 PM

Friday

Thanks, and good afternoon.

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

6. The criminal charges were pending in Teenessee

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Reply #5)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:41 PM

Friday

The deportation proceeding is in Maryland. This opinion will be used in the deportation case

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

8. Judge drops criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garca, ruling it vindictive

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Reply #5)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:48 PM

Friday

The Maryland man was charged with human smuggling after a high-profile legal fight in which courts ruled he had been illegally deported to El Salvador.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/22/judge-drops-criminal-case-against-kilmar-abrego-garca-ruling-it-vindictive

A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s human-smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego García on Friday, ruling that the Trump administration improperly brought it to punish him for successfully challenging his illegal deportation last year.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. in Tennessee wrote that “evidence before this Court sadly reflects an abuse of prosecuting power.”

The decision delivered an extraordinary defeat for the administration, which marshaled the resources of multiple federal agencies to publicly malign Abrego after court rulings concluded that officials had unlawfully deported him to his native El Salvador, in violation of a 2019 immigration court order.

Crenshaw’s ruling also marked the first time a judge has validated what has become an increasingly common defense raised by high-profile defendants targeted by the Justice Department in Trump’s second term: the claim that they are being prosecuted not in pursuit of justice but rather for political revenge.

In his decision, the judge acknowledged the incredibly high bar defendants must meet to warrant a case’s dismissal on those grounds. It requires defense attorneys to prove that charges would not have been brought but for improper, vindictive motives on the part of government attorneys......

Despite Crenshaw’s decision, U.S. immigration authorities have previously signaled they still intend to deport Abrego, 31 — who entered the country illegally from El Salvador as a teen. But their ability to do so has been temporarily blocked by a federal court ruling from Maryland, where Abrego lives with his wife, a U.S. citizen, and children.

The feds will still try to deport Abrego

BumRushDaShow

(172,568 posts)

10. The claims had been that both parties had at some point agreed that he would be willing to be deported to Costa Rica

Reply to LetMyPeopleVote (Reply #8)

Fri May 22, 2026, 04:44 PM

Friday

But then suddenly, that option got pulled as DHS & DOJ wanted to continue the flogging punishment, since he kept exposing their P.R. game-playing, and were continuing to scramble to paper-over their arrogant and vindictive stupidity.

rurallib

(64,848 posts)

7. If anybody deserves money from Trump's slush fund

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:43 PM

Friday

for being royally fucked over by an out of control administration, it is this guy and his family.

I would say he should get a billion and another billion from Trump, and another from Miller.

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

9. Judge drops criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garca, ruling it vindictive

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 03:50 PM

Friday

The Maryland man was charged with human smuggling after a high-profile legal fight in which courts ruled he had been illegally deported to El Salvador.

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/22/judge-drops-criminal-case-against-kilmar-abrego-garca-ruling-it-vindictive

The feds will still try to deport Abrego

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

11. An extraordinary rebuke of Todd Blanche and his Justice Dept.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 05:24 PM

Friday

This opinion will be featured in the case when Blanche is disbarred. This judge called out Blanche 30 times.

Link to tweet

An extraordinary rebuke of Todd Blanche and his Justice Dept.

Court dismisses indictment of Abrego Garcia (an exceedingly rare outcome in a criminal case).

Finding of vindictive prosecution and "an abuse of prosecuting power."

The opinion name checks Blanche nearly 30 times.

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(137,652 posts)

12. Donny must have soiled himself big time

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 07:47 PM

Friday

Hassin Bin Sober

(27,500 posts)

14. Thank god for their big fat incompetent mouths.

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Fri May 22, 2026, 11:02 PM

Friday

LetMyPeopleVote

(182,379 posts)

15. Deadline Legal Blog-Judge dismisses Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal indictment as vindictive by Trump DOJ

Reply to BumRushDaShow (Original post)

Sun May 24, 2026, 05:10 PM

Sunday

A judge found that Abrego wouldn’t have been prosecuted if he hadn’t brought a successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador.

Trump administrationâ€™s efforts â€œto create a boogeymanâ€ FAILS BIGLY

Judge dismisses Kilmar Abrego Garciaâ€™s criminal indictment as vindictive by Trump DOJ

Garcia should be entitled to millions from Trumpâ€™s slush fund
Just Sayinâ€™
— Anti-Trumpism (@forabettertomorrow.bsky.social) 2026-05-22T21:29:15.523Z

https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/judge-dismisses-kilmar-abrego-garcias-criminal-indictment-trump-doj

A federal judge on Friday granted Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss his indictment in Tennessee after Abrego argued that he was only charged by the Trump administration because he successfully challenged his illegal removal to El Salvador.

The Trump administration had resisted remedying that illegal removal for months before it finally brought him back in June 2025 to the United States, where it had criminal charges waiting for him.

“The objective evidence here shows that, absent Abrego’s successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution,” U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw wrote in his rare grant of such a motion, which the judge said he didn’t do lightly.

Vindictive prosecution motions are rarely granted but have been brought by several defendants targeted by the administration in President Donald Trump’s revenge-themed second term.....

“The Executive Branch closed its investigation on the November 2022 traffic stop,” Crenshaw wrote Friday, adding, “Only after Abrego succeeded in vindicating his rights did the Executive Branch reopen that investigation.”

In his ruling, the judge referred to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s investigation as “tainted.” Crenshaw wrote that instead of investigating the November 2022 traffic stop to identify who was responsible for the human smuggling, “Blanche started the investigation to implicate Abrego. He did so to justify the Executive Branch’s decision to remove him to El Salvador.”

Abrego’s illegal removal and the prolonged fight over his return drew widespread attention last year.

I believe that Blanche will face disbarment due to this and other actions.

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