Overview

• In a Thursday filing, defense attorneys asked a Tennessee federal judge to bar DOJ and DHS leaders, including Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem, from making extrajudicial statements about the case.
• The motion cites recent remarks in which Bondi said he “needs to be in prison” and a DHS post called him an “MS-13 gangbanger,” which the defense argues could taint a jury pool.
• Abrego Garcia is in ICE custody after surrendering in Baltimore, and U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has temporarily forbidden his removal pending a hearing.
• The administration has signaled plans to deport him to Uganda, while he has filed an asylum claim and formally warned he fears persecution or transfer to El Salvador if sent there.
• He was deported to El Salvador in March despite a 2019 order barring that destination, then returned to the U.S. in June and now faces a Middle District of Tennessee indictment for conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants.