Kilmar Ábrego García, a 30-year-old Salvadoran national, was released from Putnam County Jail in Tennessee and safely reunited with his family in Maryland. The move comes amid his ongoing legal battle over human smuggling charges, which date back to a 2022 traffic stop where nine passengers were found in his vehicle.
This release follows months of legal proceedings and public attention after Ábrego García was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March—despite a court order protecting him from such action. He was sent to a maximum-security facility in El Salvador, then brought back to the U.S. earlier this summer under court and political pressure.
Presently, Ábrego García is under strict home detention. He is subject to electronic monitoring and must check in regularly with ICE agents at the Baltimore office. His trial is set for January. Meanwhile, officials continue to explore possible deportation—not to El Salvador, where it was deemed unsafe for him—but potentially to a third country.