JONATHAN TURLEY: Not the homecoming Dems and Abrego Garcia hoped for
Trump Administration ends months-long controversy by bringing Abrego Garcia back to US on their own terms

Published June 7, 2025 7:17am EDST
Abrego Garcia's wife begged judge for protection order in 2020 audio
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the United States, but he can hardly be thrilled about it. He has been returned not for a removal hearing, but for a trial that could result in a lengthy prison sentence, followed by immediate removal back to El Salvador. After the issuance of the federal grand jury, the United States is likely the last place on Earth that Abrego Garcia wanted to visit.
Abrego Garcia had been fighting to return after he was mistakenly removed to El Salvador. That immediately drew irate orders from a federal judge, and many of us argued that the Trump administration should have simply brought him back for what seemed an easy case for removal after a hearing.
KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA INDICTED ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHARGES, ORDERED TO APPEAR BEFORE JUDGE IN NASHVILLE
Instead, the case dragged on for months after the Trump administration challenged the court orders as judicial overreach and unconstitutional. The indictment issued by a federal grand jury allows the administration to end the controversy on its terms. Rather than yielding to the challenged orders, it simply brought Abrego Garcia back to stand trial.
It is an example of the old adage "one day on the cover of "Time," next day doing time." Sometimes notoriety can be your undoing.

JONATHAN TURLEY: Not the homecoming Dems and Abrego Garcia hoped for
Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces federal indictment for human trafficking after mistaken deportation, with evidence of MS-13 gang ties and involvement in international smuggling operations