Justice Department seeks to revive charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The U.S. Justice Department is appealing a judge's decision to dismiss human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national. The original ruling criticized the government for 'presumptive vindictiveness' in filing charges after the defendant sued over his previous deportation.
Why it matters
The case raises significant questions regarding prosecutorial discretion and the potential for government retaliation against individuals who challenge deportation orders.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Justice Department is pushing to revive criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia , telling a federal appeals court late Monday that a judge erred in his scathing ruling that called the case against the man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison an “abuse of prosecuting power.”
The government is appealing the May ruling by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw that threw out charges of human smuggling against the Salvadoran national. The ruling amounted to an extraordinary rebuke of a Justice Department that under President Donald Trump has repeatedly been accused of targeting defendants for political purposes.
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