Prosecutors Give Abrego Garcia’s Attorneys The One Thing They Were Hoping For

Federal prosecutors on Friday agreed to a request by Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s attorneys to keep him in jail until his next hearing, a maneuver intended to prevent his deportation from the U.S.

Abrego Garcia, an illegal migrant currently detained in Tennessee on human smuggling charges, requested U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes to delay his release from criminal custody until a July hearing, arguing that the Trump administration intended to detain him the moment he was released and swiftly deport him to a third country. Despite aggressively pushing back on some of the claims made by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys in their motion, prosecutors ultimately granted their request.

“The United States submits that it does not oppose a delay in the issuance of the Court’s forthcoming release order,” prosecutors wrote in a response, according to court documents.

Abrego Garcia’s counsel acknowledged the “irony” of their request earlier Friday, noting that he had spent the last two weeks contesting his detention in Tennessee, and federal prosecutors had previously requested he remain detained before his trial. The Salvadoran man was originally expected to be released Wednesday, where federal 🛂Immigration agents intended to assume custody.

The move by prosecutors would delay further action until his next court hearing on July 16, according to court documents.

Abrego Garcia, accused of being an MS-13 gang member by the Trump administration, is currently being jailed