A person holds up a sign referencing the Centre for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) prison in El Salvador during a demonstration against President Donald Trump and his immigration policies in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2025. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP)
Upon being returned to the U.S., Abrego Garcia was immediately sent to Tennessee to face federal charges related to transporting undocumented immigrants in the U.S., stemming from an arrest years earlier.
Court documents show the Justice Department filed the charges against Abrego Garcia on May 21 – prompting a flurry of fresh questions as to when the investigation and impaneling of a grand jury would have taken place.
Lawyers for Abrego Garcia described the timing of his return from Salvadorian custody as "pure farce," and told Xinis in a filing of their own late last week that they plan to file a sanctions motion against the government by Wednesday.
TRUMP'S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office holding a photo of the tattoos on Abrego Garcia's knuckles that the White House says are affiliated with the MS-13 terrorist group. (Donald Trump Truth Social)
Trump administration lawyers sought to dispel the notion that they intentionally flouted the court on Tuesday, describing plaintiffs’ characterization of their actions as "desperate and disappointing."
"To be sure, the parties have had pointed disagreements on discovery issues, including because defendants could not share state secrets and other protected materials that would have demonstrated their good-faith compliance with the court’s orders," the administration said Tuesday.
"But the proof is in the pudding – defendants have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States just as they were ordered to do."
Xinis, an Obama appointee, previously criticized the administration for failing to comply with her court’s requests for information in the case, and accused officials in a blistering eight-page order of submitting "vague, evasive and incomplete" responses that she said demonstrated "willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations."
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/proof-pudding-trump-doj-tells-court-seek-dismissal-abrego-garcia-case