Tennessee judge dismisses federal human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego García

NPR | By Marianna Bacallao,

Scott Simon

Published May 23, 2026 at 7:39 AM EDT

A federal judge in Tennessee cleared Kilmar Abrego Garcia of all criminal charges. His case gained attention when the Trump administration wrongly deported him to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

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NPR

Marianna Bacallao

Scott Simon

Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy.

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