Judge finds basis for ‘vindictive’ prosecution claim in Abrego Garcia case

A federal judge in Tennessee ruled Friday that the foreign national from El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, has shown a sufficient evidentiary basis to proceed with claims that his criminal prosecution was brought for “vindictive” and politically retaliatory reasons by the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, an appointee of former President Barack Obama based in Nashville, granted Abrego Garcia’s request for discovery and an evidentiary hearing, writing that the totality of events, including public comments by senior administration officials, raised a “realistic likelihood of vindictiveness.” The court stopped short of dismissing the charges but said more evidence must be considered before deciding whether to throw out the case entirely.

The ruling applies only to Abrego Garcia’s criminal case in Tennessee, where he is charged

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