Salvadoran man deported in error returned to US to face trafficking indictment

Salvadoran man deported in error returned to US to face trafficking indictment.

While GOP in Congress hope for Trump-Musk truce, others root for permanent rift.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia has reportedly returned to the United States from El Salvador to face a two-count federal indictment for trafficking of undocumented migrants. A DOJ official had previously admitted that Abrego Garcia had been deported in error nearly two months ago in violation of a court order prohibiting his removal from the US. Abrego Garcia, an undocumented migrant from El Salvador, had been flown to El Salvador along with hundreds of other undocumented migrants and was held in the country’s most notorious prison.

The charges stem from a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. At that time Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding and found to have some undocumented migrants in his vehicle. He was let off with a warning about an expired driver’s license and no charges were never filed in that case until now.

The indictment made several other allegations of conduct for which Abrego Garcia was not charged. The indictment claimed Abrego Garcia had been paid thousands of dollars to transport thousands of non-citizens from Mexico and Central America, including some children. It is also alleged that he transported narcotics, and that he was involved in an incident in Mexico in which a tractor-trailer transporting 150 migrants overturned, killing 50 people and injuring others.

A detention memo contained allegations not included in the indictment, including that Abrego Garcia had been involved in the murder of the mother of a rival gang member in El Salvador. The memo stated that Abrego Garcia, if convicted at trial, could face up to 10 years for each “alien” he transported, amounting to a life sentence.

Concerns about indictment

So far, the Justice Department has not presented any evidence for the allegations it is making against Abrego Garcia, nor has it even charged him for all the conduct it is alleging. Evidence could become public if the matter goes to trial. If the government does find evidence to support its other allegations, they could seek superseding indictments. However, it is famously, and metaphorically, said that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.

Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, called the government’s charges “preposterous” and said they revealed the lengths the administration would go to “just to avoid admitting they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case”. Sandoval-Moshenberg also said he was confident his confident his client would be cleared, adding “There’s no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy”. Abrego Garcia’s wife and family also deny he has any involvement in criminal activity, much less murderous gang activity.

Whether or not Abrego Garcia is the kingpin that prosecutors allege remains to be seen. However, it is not only his attorneys who have concerns about his indictment. Citing unnamed sources, ABC News reports that Ben Schrader, a high-ranking federal prosecutor in Tennessee (where the indictment originates), has resigned after 15 years in his post over concerns that the case against Abrego Garcia was being pursued for political reasons. Schrader’s statement, which did not mention Abrego Garcia or his indictment, said in part, “the only job description I’ve known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons”.

Fallout from Trump-Musk feud shakes Washington

After yesterday’s spectacular war of words between President Trump and Elon Musk, many Republicans are anxious to see whether the two will reconcile or whether the split will deepen, with repercussions that could reverberate around Washington.

Many Capitol Hill Republicans have come out publicly to urge Trump and Musk to mend the rift between them, fearing potential consequences for the Republican budget bill and for the Republican Party itself. If the feud continues, both Trump and Musk are in positions to lash out in ways that could undermine each other’s interests. To say that both men could easily become loose cannons is an understatement, and there is no telling what the collateral damage could be if they remain at odds.

Trump could withdraw government subsidies and contracts awarded to Musk’s various companies, which could subtract billions from Musk’s net worth. However, Musk has shown in the past that he does not mind taking financial risks and losses when he seizes on a goal or when his ego is at stake.

With that in mind, Musk could weaponize his tremendous wealth to target Republicans currently in office with primary challengers in upcoming special and midterm elections. Which such threats, he could easily peel away support for Trump’s budget bill. Musk’s anger over the bill was what set off the feud in the first place, and the bill’s support in Congress is already on shaky ground.

Some rooting for permanent Musk-Trump split

While mainline Republicans are hoping the spat between Musk and Trump will die down, some in MAGA world are egging it on. Former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon has never made his contempt for Musk any secret and seems delighted at Musk’s departure from Trump’s orbit.

Bannon is now urging federal investigations into Musk, probing his alleged drug use, his immigration status, his extensive business ties to China, as well as the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk previously led. Bannon also urged Trump to seize Musk’s company SpaceX and initiate deportation proceedings against him.

Seeing blood in the water, some Democrats are also considering trying to woo Musk to their side. Musk once gave generously to the Democratic Party before switching sides. Some in the party are hopeful he might do so again, if only out of spite towards Trump and the Republicans rather than any ideological or policy alignment. Considering the havoc and anxiety Musk has provoked among Republicans, some question the wisdom of Democrats inviting him inside their tent.