The Justice Department has taken action to reinstate criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration. This comes after a lower court in Tennessee dismissed charges against him, labeling them vindictive.
In May, a federal judge found that the charges against Abrego Garcia were retaliatory, linked to his efforts to challenge his deportation. The charges were related to accusations of smuggling immigrants into the U.S. illegally.
On Monday, the Justice Department submitted a filing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. They rejected claims of vindictiveness, asserting multiple legitimate grounds existed for Abrego Garcia’s prosecution.
“The decision to seek an indictment against Abrego Garcia for human smuggling was made by career prosecutors based on the evidence, the law, and their firm belief that there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Abrego Garcia had committed the offenses charged,” stated the Justice Department.
They argued against the court’s expansion of dismissal powers based on subjective assessments of prosecutorial motivations.
Additionally, Abrego Garcia has a separate federal case related to deportation efforts to Liberia. A judge has currently blocked this action.
CBS News has requested comments from Abrego Garcia’s legal team.
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