The Trump administration said a Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported and then brought back to the US on criminal charges will “never go free” on American soil, even though a judge ordered his release.
Kilmar Ábrego García was deported in March as part of an immigration crackdown. Government officials said he was removed in error, but they were unable to bring him back.
Earlier this month, he was sent to the state of Tennessee, where the justice department charged him with human smuggling.
The judge overseeing the case said on Sunday that Mr Ábrego García should be released from custody while he awaits trial. But she noted immigration officials would still have the power to detain him.
I had no misconceptions that the charges were bullshit, but it’s pretty damn impressive that they went to those lengths to paint him as a criminal.
I mean hell, interstate bus companies are probably all guilty of this too.
It’s vindictiveness, plain and simple. His existence is an embarrassment to them. They absolutely have to get the last word in this fight, because their egos are too fragile for anything else.
I don’t think vindictiveness is a major factor. This is about power.
Trump is trying to grab as much power to deport people as he can. He will fight every challenge to it until the legal options are exhausted. He will attack the legitimacy of the courts when he loses. He cares about the precedent and saving face with his base, not Garcia himself.