Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, is seen wearing a Chicago Bulls hat, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. (Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via REUTERS)
Abrego Garica was first deported to El Salvador for being a suspected gang member, which caused a nationwide controversy that sparked visits to the Central American country, including by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland.
However, he ended up later facing charges in the U.S. for alleged human smuggling after a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop resurfaced.
"Abrego is reminded, as stated in the conditions of release appended hereto, that he must comply with any conditions of release, bond, or bail imposed by any other governmental agency, including, without limitation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") or Department of Homeland Security," Judge Barbara Holmes wrote on Friday. "Abrego is further reminded that, if he is taken into ICE custody, he is required by the conditions of his release to consent to being transported back to this district for further proceedings in this case."
Those who disagreed with the order expressed their frustrations on social media.
"Abrego Garcia is a criminal illegal alien, wife-beater, and an MS-13 gang member facing serious charges of human smuggling," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. "He will face justice for his crimes. It’s an insult to his victims that this left-wing magistrate intervened to put him back on the streets. Garcia will be subject to ankle monitoring to ensure the safety of the American public until further action can be taken."
"THIS IS INSANE! Our justice system needs an OVERHAUL!" conservative podcaster Nick Sortor posted to X.
"This is why we can’t have nice things," Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk replied.
The wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, stands with demonstrators as they rally in support of Garcia outside federal court during a hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Getty Images)
"Abrego Garcia has landed in the United States to face justice," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in June. "A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee returned a sealed indictment charging him with alien smuggling and conspiracy."
His lawyers have maintained that the case is politically motivated.
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"A group of the most senior officials in the United States sought vengeance: they began a public campaign to punish Mr. Abrego for daring to fight back, culminating in the criminal investigation that led to the charges in this case," his lawyers said in a filing on Tuesday.
"Rather than fix its mistake and return Mr. Abrego to the United States, the government fought back at every level of the federal court system. And at every level, Mr. Abrego won," they added. "This case results from the government’s concerted effort to punish him for having the audacity to fight back, rather than accept a brutal injustice."
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/noem-torches-activist-liberal-judges-after-abrego-garcias-release-from-jail-new-low