Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be released from custody Wednesday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A federal judge could decide to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail Wednesday to await trial on human smuggling charges.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to a prison in El Salvador in March and was brought back to the U.S. to face charges of human smuggling following a Tennessee traffic stop. He’s accused of conspiring to bring undocumented migrants to the U.S. from around 2016 to 2025.

The charges stem from a traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol in Putnam County in 2022. Body camera video shows officers discussing among themselves their suspicions of human smuggling before letting Abrego Garcia go free. He was not charged with any offense at the traffic stop before he was deported in March and returned on June 6.

Click here for previous coverage on Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

On Wednesday, prosecutors are expected to have a homeland security agent provide testimony about the traffic stop. The judge is expected to then rule on whether Abrego Garcia should be released while he awaits trial.

Immigration officials have said they would immediately detain him and begin deportation proceedings.

 A federal judge in Maryland scolded the Trump administration Friday for its refusal to detail its deportation plans for Abrego Garcia, including where the government plans to send him and whether he’ll get a chance to fight his expulsion.

The administration argues Abrego Garcia is a danger to the community and can be deported before his trial to a country other than El Salvador. An U.S. immigration official said Thursday Mexico and South Sudan could be willing to accept him.

Abrego Garcia has reportedly lived and worked in Maryland for more than a decade, working construction and raising a family. His American wife is suing the administration over his wrongful deportation in Maryland.

The hearing is expected to begin at 1 p.m.