Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be released from jail Friday. Here’s what to know

The Associated Press
August 21, 2025, 6:52 PM

A U.S. magistrate judge is expected to order the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a Tennessee jail Friday while he awaits trial on federal human smuggling charges.

The release will provide the closest thing to freedom Abrego Garcia has felt since he was wrongfully deported to a notorious El Salvador prison in March, making him a face — if not the face — of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers stated in a court filings Tuesday that a private security firm will take Abrego Garcia from Tennessee to Maryland when he’s freed. … But Abrego Garcia’s liberty before trial could be short-lived. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may detain him once he arrives in his adopted state of Maryland and could try to deport him again.

Depending on who’s telling his story, there are two very different versions of Abrego Garcia.

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