Judge says prosecution against Kilmar Ábrego García for human smuggling may be illegal retaliation

Salvadorian national successfully sued White House over his deportation before charges were filed

A federal judge has concluded that the Department of Justice's prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on human-smuggling charges may be an illegal retaliation after he successfully sued the Trump administration over his deportation to El Salvador.

The case of Abrego, a Salvadorian national who was a construction worker in Maryland, has become a proxy for the partisan struggle over Donald Trump's sweeping immigration policy and mass deportation agenda.