Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from federal custody in Tennessee, en route to family in Maryland

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from federal custody in Tennessee on Friday and is now en route to his family in Maryland, one of his attorneys told reporters.

Abrego Garcia emerged as a focal point of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration earlier this year, after he was deported back to his home country of El Salvador despite a court order that allowed him to remain in the U.S. for his own safety. He was returned to the U.S. in June.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in the Middle District of Tennessee authorized Abrego Garcia's release, and said he can stay with his brother in Maryland under certain conditions. One condition is reporting to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials at its Baltimore field office.

"While his release brings some relief, we all know that he is far from safe. ICE detention or deportation to an unknown third country still threaten to tear his family apart," his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told NBC News. "A measure of justice has been done, but the government must stop pursuing actions that would once again separate this family."

Abrego Garcia, who has been accused of being part of the violent MS-13 gang, faces human smuggling charges in Tennessee. Federal prosecutors allege Abrego Garcia transported hundreds of illegal migrants over many years, but he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.