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yesterday

Star Witness in Abrego Garcia Case Wins Deportation Immunity as Defendant Stays Detained

Conflicting federal statements about Abrego Garcia’s post-release deportation have prompted his attorneys to seek a delay

Katheryn Millwee holds a portrait of Kilmar Abrego Garcia outside the federal courthouse Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
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Overview

  • Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, 38, has been released early from federal prison to a halfway house and granted at least a one-year stay of removal in exchange for his cooperation.
  • Prosecutors have identified Hernandez Reyes as the first cooperator in the case and say he owned the SUV Abrego Garcia allegedly used in a 2022 Tennessee migrant smuggling stop.
  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran construction worker, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March and returned this month under a Supreme Court order to face human smuggling charges.
  • Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty and remains in pretrial detention in Tennessee as his lawyers press a motion to postpone his release.
  • Department of Justice attorneys told a judge that they plan to transfer Abrego Garcia to ICE custody for removal proceedings if he is released, a prospect his lawyers challenge.