US judge orders bail for deported migrant Abrego ahead of prosecution by Trump administration
WASHINGTON, - A U.S. judge ordered on Wednesday that Kilmar Abrego be released on bail while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges, a legal victory for the migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, but one that likely sets the stage for him to be detained again by immigration authorities.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville upheld a magistrate judge's ruling that prosecutors had not shown sufficient evidence that Abrego posed a public safety threat or was a flight risk.
The ruling will likely not lead to Abrego's release from U.S. government custody and will trigger a renewed legal battle over whether he can be deported again.
Abrego's lawyers have asked for the ruling to be paused for 30 days, keeping him in criminal detention as they weigh their next moves.
President
Donald Trump's
administration has previously said if Abrego is freed from criminal custody, he will immediately be taken into immigration detention and face a second deportation to a country other than El Salvador. The immigration proceedings will begin immediately and could lead to Abrego's removal from the U.S. before a criminal trial, officials have said, despite the Trump administration's previous vow that Abrego would face justice in an American courtroom. Abrego, 29, a Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland, was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador in March despite a 2019 judicial ruling that he could not be sent there because of a risk of gang persecution.
Abrego's lawyers have asked a federal judge in Maryland, who is overseeing a civil lawsuit brought by Abrego, to halt a potential second deportation. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has not yet ruled, but has indicated she is prepared to order at least a brief pause.
Abrego's case has drawn widespread attention as the Trump administration moves aggressively to deport millions living illegally in the U.S., prompting criticism that the government is infringing on legal rights.
The Trump administration brought Abrego back to the U.S. in June after securing an indictment accusing him of taking part in a smuggling ring as part of the MS-13 gang to transport migrants living in the country illegally.
Abrego has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the Trump administration of bringing the charges to cover up violations of his rights. He has denied any gang ties. Federal prosecutors sought to convince two different judges to order Abrego be detained while awaiting a trial. They alleged that Abrego used children as cover during smuggling trips, faced complaints that he mistreated female passengers and lied about his activities when stopped by police in 2022.
Lawyers for Abrego have argued that alleged co-conspirators cooperating with prosecutors cannot be trusted because they are seeking relief from their own criminal charges and deportations. The defense has argued that witnesses gave inconsistent statements to investigators, including about the government's core allegation that Abrego is a member of the MS-13 gang.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
a few seconds ago
- India Today
Nasa under attack: Mass layoffs, budget cuts hit American space dominance
As the American space agency prepares for the launch of four astronauts to the International Space Station as part of Crew-11 mission, Nasa is in the midst of an unprecedented scientists, engineers, and workers across the United States are protesting a sweeping wave of layoffs following dramatic budget cuts enacted under the Trump administration. Nearly 20% of the agency's workforce, estimated at 3,870 employees, are set to leave, dramatically shrinking Nasa from over 18,000 employees to around 14,000. Many agency veterans say morale has plummeted. (Photo: Reuters) advertisementSWEEPING CHANGES The departures come via the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), a buyout-style initiative introduced as part of a broader federal effort to create a 'leaner and more efficient' officials insist the agency remains committed to safety and exploration goals, including planned missions to the Moon and Mars, internal experts warn that the loss of institutional knowledge and talent poses grave risks to future protests broke out over the weekend, with hundreds of Nasa employees, contractors, their families, and supporters gathering outside iconic sites like the Smithsonian National Air and Space UNDER THREATRally organisers decried what they called 'preemptive compliance' with an unfinished budget, fearing the agency's storied legacy and scientific safety standards had been undermined before Congress had finalised funding agency veterans say morale has plummeted. The layoffs, implemented in two waves throughout 2025, have triggered a chain reaction of resignations and retirements, with workers expressing concerns that crucial 'brain drain' is happening too quickly for any meaningful succession planning.'We are here because Nasa is under attack,' one protest leader declared, warning that the erosion of experience and oversight could imperil future missions and even astronaut safety. The departures come via the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP). (Photo: Reuters) Adding to frustrations, nearly 300 Nasa scientists and engineers have co-signed the 'Voyager Declaration,' an open letter protesting the funding cuts and organisational declaration cautions that the rapid personnel losses and elimination of critical programs could bring about 'irreparable damage,' particularly to Nasa's ability to pursue climate research, advanced aeronautics, and deep space assurances from the agency's leadership that safety and innovation remain priorities, those on the front lines say the mass departures and persistent uncertainty have left Nasa 'demoralised' and at a continue to call on US Congress to act swiftly, warning that America's preeminence in space and science is at stake.- Ends
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a few seconds ago
- Business Standard
Trump to meet UK PM Starmer at Scotland golf course to boost ties
President Donald Trump once suggested his golf course in Scotland furthers" the US-UK relationship. Now he's getting the chance to prove it. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is meeting Monday with Trump at a golf property owned by the president's family near Turnberry in southwestern Scotland then later travelling to Abderdeen, on the country's northeast coast, where there's another Trump golf course and a third is opening soon. During his first term in 2019, Trump posted of his Turnberry property, Very proud of perhaps the greatest golf course anywhere in the world. Also, furthers UK relationship! Starmer is not a golfer, but toggling between Trump's Scottish courses shows the outsized influence the president puts on properties bearing his name and on golf's ability to shape geopolitics. While China initially responded to Trump's tariff threats by retaliating with high import taxes of its own on US goods but has since begun negotiating easing trade tensions, Starmer and his country have taken a far softer approach. He's gone out of his way to work with Trump, flattering the president repeatedly during a February visit to the White House, and teaming up to announce a joint trade framework on tariffs for some key products in May. Starmer and Trump then signed a trade agreement during the G7 summit in Canada that freed the UK's aerospace sector from US tariffs and used quotas to reduce them on auto-related industries from 25 per cent to 10 per cent while increasing the amount of US beef it pledged to import. The prime minister's office says Monday's meeting will also touch on Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, and that it hopes to welcome the Trump administration working with officials in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire. Starmer plans to stress the urgent need to cease the fighting and work to end starvation and other suffering occurring amid increasingly desperate circumstances in Gaza. Also on the agenda, according to Starmer's office, are efforts to promote a possible peace deal to end fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine particularly efforts at forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table in the next 50 days. Protesters, meanwhile, have planned a demonstration in Balmedie, near Trump's existing course, after demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday to decry the president's visit. Discussions with Starmer follow Trump meeting Sunday with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry course. They announced a trade framework that will put 15 per cent tariffs on most goods from both countries though many major details remain pending. On Tuesday, Trump will be at the site of his new course near Aberdeen for an official ribbon cutting. It opens to the public on August 13 and tee times are already for sale with the course betting that a presidential visit can help boost sales. There are still lingering US-Britain trade issues that need fine-tuning after the previous agreements, including the tariff rates Washington imposes on steel imported from the UK. Even as some trade details linger and both leaders grapple with increasingly difficult choices in Gaza and Ukraine, however, Starmer's attempts to stay on Trump's good side appears to be working. The UK is very well-protected. You know why? Because I like them that's their ultimate protection, Trump said during the G7. Also likely to improve Trump's mood is the fact that the US ran an USD 11.4 billion trade surplus with Britain last year, meaning it exported more to the UK than it imported. Census Bureau figures this year indicate that the surplus could grow. The president has for months railed against yawning US trade deficits with key allies and sees tariffs as a way to try and close them in hurry. Trump is set to return to Britain in September for an unprecedented second state visit. Trump will be hosted then by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
a few seconds ago
- Mint
‘Maun vrat': says Shashi Tharoor ahead of Operation Sindoor debate in Monsoon Session of Parliament
Parliament Monsoon Session:After disruption throughout the first week of the monsoon session, Parliament is set to witness a fiery debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor today. Members of the ruling alliance and the Opposition are expected to clash over the two issues steeped in national security and foreign policy imperatives. The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)—led ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and opposition parties will field their top leaders during the discussions in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Home Minister AmitShah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, andExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankarwill speak on the issues representing the government side. Singh is expected to speak at the beginning of the debate at noon. There are indications that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also intervene to convey his government's "robust" stand against terrorism. There is, however, no official confirmation on this. The Congress party has issued a whip to its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in the House for three days starting today. News agency PTI, quoting sources, said the party's Deputy Leader in the House, Gaurav Gogoi, is expected to lead the opposition party's charge on the first day of the debate. Tharoor was asked by reporters to comment ahead of the debate. He responded 'Maun Vrat,' which translates to a 'Vow of Silence.' A big question mark is whether Shashi Tharoor, who led the delegation to the US, among other countries, will be picked as a speaker by the Congress. The seasoned Lok Sabha member's enthusiastic endorsement of the government's action following the terror attack has soured his ties with his party. Opposition parties have framed their public criticism of the government around alleged intelligence lapses behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians killed, and US President Donald Trump's claims of mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the four-day military action that ended on May 10. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly attacked the government's foreign policy, claiming India did not receive international support on Operation Sindoor and has cited Trump's frequent mediation claims to target the ruling alliance. Gandhi is expected to speak in Parliament on Operation Sindoor on Tuesday. The government has rejected Trump's claims. Key Takeaways The debate will focus on national security and the government's foreign policy response to recent attacks. Key government figures, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, are set to represent the ruling party's stance. Opposition parties, led by Congress, are expected to challenge the government on alleged intelligence failures.
