June 13 (UPI) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Friday formally pleaded not-guilty to federal human trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, also said a court appearance this week was the first time she was able to see her husband since he was arrested and detained in March.
The Salvadorian migrant was returned to the United States earlier this month after being deported to a prison in El Salvador.
“Even though it was through a video screen, I was finally able to see Kilmar,” Vasquez Sura, who is a U.S. citizen, told supporters at a rally in Nashville.
“I’m grateful for everyone who has been fighting for this milestone, in this fight to bring my husband back home with our children.”
The couple were living in Maryland with their young children at the time Abrego Garcia was arrested.
Lawyers will now argue in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes whether the 29-year-old should be granted bail before trial.
Prosecutors have argued he “would have enormous reason to flee” if released.
Abrego Garcia was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March and eventually deported to El Salvador.
Supporters argued Abrego Garcia was denied due process in the deportation proceedings
A U.S. District Court judge later ordered the federal government to “facilitate” his return, after the Justice Department later acknowledged Abrego Garcia’s deportation was made in error.
President Donald Trump‘s administration pushed back against efforts to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.
In 2019, a federal judge ruled in 2019 that Abrego Garcia could be deported, but not back to his home country of El Salvador.
He was indicted on two federal charges last month before his return to the United States. Abrego Garcia is accused of playing a “significant role in an alien smuggling ring,” dating back as far as 2016, Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time of the indictment.
Bondi said if Abrego Garcia is found guilty, he will be returned to El Salvador.
Police stopped the vehicle he was driving in Tennessee in 2002 and found several Hispanic men with no identification.
After he was returned to the United States, Abrego Garcia was immediately sent to Tennessee to face the federal charges.
Federal officials also contend Abrego Garcia was a member of the El Salvadoran MS-13 gang, accusations he and his family deny. They argue Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador because of the threat of gang violence.