Kilmer Abrego Garcia, recently embroiled in a significant immigration controversy, was released from a Tennessee jail on August 22, 2025. This followed a four-month detention stemming from his arrest while driving to his home in Maryland.

Abrego, who is expected to be returned to Maryland under the watch of a private security firm, will also have to comply with pretrial oversight requirements, as set by a federal magistrate in Nashville. Additionally, he remains under the jurisdiction of immigration and customs enforcement, which may impose further restrictions on him. A Maryland court ruling stipulates that the government must notify him 72 hours in advance if it plans to deport him to a “third country.”

His deportation to an El Salvador prison raised numerous questions about the practices of the Trump administration regarding immigration. He had been sent back after being detained by officials in Maryland. It was later acknowledged by government prosecutors that his deportation was incorrect. Abrego, who entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager, is protected by a court order that prohibits his removal to El Salvador due to concerns over gang violence in the region.

Having returned to Tennessee in June, Abrego now faces smuggling charges tied to an incident from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. He was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol while having nine passengers in his vehicle. Prosecutors assert that these stops are related to a human smuggling ring, alleging that Abrego was compensated for transporting undocumented immigrants across the United States.

Abrego has entered a plea of not guilty regarding the accusations against him.

This story may be updated.