Overview

• In March the Trump administration deported Garcia to El Salvador despite a 2019 immigration judge order and held him in the harsh CECOT prison.
• The Supreme Court had ordered the administration to facilitate his return but officials resisted until US prosecutors secured an arrest warrant from El Salvador.
• A Tennessee grand jury indicted Garcia on May 21 on conspiracy and unlawful transportation charges, alleging he made more than 100 smuggling trips, including with MS-13 members.
• Garcia’s attorneys label the charges baseless and an abuse of power, arguing his due process rights were violated by months of delay and secrecy.
• He made his first US court appearance in Nashville and faces pretrial detention while awaiting trial and potential deportation after any sentence.