Overview
- In a Tuesday order, U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. canceled the trial and set a Jan. 28 evidentiary hearing that could end in dismissal if prosecutors cannot justify the case.
- The court found Abrego had made a prima facie showing of vindictiveness, creating a presumption in his favor and shifting the burden to the government.
- A Department of Homeland Security agent testified he did not begin probing a 2022 traffic stop until after the Supreme Court directed the administration to work to bring Abrego back from El Salvador.
- Abrego was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison despite a prior protection order, then later repatriated and charged in Tennessee.
- He has lived in Maryland under ICE supervision and denies Trump officials’ MS-13 allegations, and he has no criminal record; the 2022 stop ended with only a warning.