The Justice Department Seeks to Reactivate Criminal Case Against Kilmar Ábrego García
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The Justice Department is pushing to reactivate criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego García and informed a federal appeals court that a judge erred in labeling the case of the man mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador as 'abuse of power.' The government is appealing the May ruling by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, who dismissed human trafficking charges against the Salvadoran citizen. The ruling was an extraordinary rebuke to a Justice Department that, under President Donald Trump, has been repeatedly accused of targeting defendants for political purposes. Crenshaw determined that Ábrego García would never have faced criminal charges if he had not successfully sued the government for his 2025 deportation. The ruling was an embarrassment for the Trump administration, which only brought him back after securing a formal indictment against him. Crenshaw did not conclude that the government acted with 'actual malice,' a standard rarely met and generally requiring evidence such as a prosecutor admitting that charges were filed in retaliation against someone. However, the judge did find sufficient evidence of 'presumed malice,' such as the timing of the formal charges.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
