Judge dismisses criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia

The Trump administration deported Garcia to his home country of El Salvador last year, despite a protective order against doing so.

By Ben Whedon

Published: May 22, 2026 3:43pm

A federal judge on Friday dismissed the Department of Justice's prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an embattled illegal alien whose deportation, legal fight, and repatriation has become a national focus.

The Trump administration deported Garcia to his home country of El Salvador last year, despite a protective order against doing so. He sent to a prison facility in the country, but later returned to the U.S., where he has faced continued legal proceedings to deport him, as well as the federal trafficking case.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw dismissed the criminal case on Friday, calling it "an abuse of prosecuting power" and appeared to conclude that the DOJ had brought the case as a reprisal after Garcia secured a court victory in his immigration fight, Politico reported.

The DOJ had brought the case in connection with a 2022 traffic stop involving Garcia that occurred in Tennessee. The DOJ had alleged that he was part of a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens from Texas to the U.S. interior.

Crenshaw's ruling has no bearing on Abrego Garcia's immigration case.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.