NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A federal judge in Tennessee on Monday warned Trump administration officials of possible sanctions if they continue to make incendiary statements. Kilmer Abrego Garcia it may lead to his prejudice upcoming trial.
U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw filed an order late Monday directing the district attorney in Nashville to provide copies of the opinion to all Justice and Homeland Security officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Government officials make troubling extralegal statements, especially when many of them are exaggerated, if not simply inaccurate,” Crenshaw wrote.
He cited numerous examples of prohibited speech outlined in the local rules of the U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee. These include any statements regarding “the character, credibility, reputation, or criminal history of the parties” and “opinions regarding the guilt or innocence of the defendant.”
“Any Justice Department or Homeland Security official who fails to comply with the requirement to refrain from making statements that are ‘likely to materially affect’ a criminal prosecution may be subject to sanctions,” his order said.
Earlier this year, Abrego Garcia’s mistakenly deported He was sent to El Salvador and detained there. notoriously brutal prison Helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trump despite having no criminal record immigration crackdown. Trump administration faces growing public pressure and court order brought him back to America. This comes after a Tennessee warrant was issued for his arrest on human smuggling charges in June. Abrego-Garcia has pleaded not guilty to these charges and asked Crenshaw to drop them.
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Meanwhile, Trump administration officials waged a relentless public relations campaign against Abrego-Garcia, repeatedly mentioning him. MS-13 gang members and even implicated him in murder. Crenshaw’s opinion said statements made by several government officials, including Bondy and Noem, could undermine Abrego-Garcia’s right to a fair trial. He also admonished Abrego-Garcia’s defense attorney for publishing details of the plea deal negotiations.
Abrego Garcia has an American wife and children. lived in maryland Although he spent years there, he illegally immigrated to the United States from El Salvador as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation to his home country, finding he had a well-founded fear of gang violence targeting his family in his home country.
Since his return to the United States in June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced plans to deport him. African countries series, Recently, Liberia.
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