Abrego Garcia Faces Vindictive Prosecution Hearing in US Until November

Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia will remain in the United States through at least late November as federal courts in Maryland and Tennessee continue examining allegations that the Justice Department pursued criminal charges against him in retaliation for his prior legal challenges to deportation. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland has blocked his deportation and set a schedule for a two-day evidentiary hearing in Nashville, Tennessee, to investigate claims of "selective" or "vindictive" prosecution following a 2022 traffic stop that led to immigrant smuggling charges. Concurrently, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw is considering whether to compel Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and DOJ's second-in-command, to testify regarding authorization of the prosecution, while also reviewing internal DOJ communications related to the case. The Trump administration had planned to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia by the end of October despite ongoing legal proceedings, but court injunctions have delayed this. The case has become a notable flashpoint in the administration's broader immigration enforcement efforts, with legal teams challenging the motivations behind the prosecution and the government's transparency. Both courts are also scheduled to hold further hearings, including a motion hearing before Thanksgiving to consider the government's request to lift the injunction preventing his removal.