Obama-Appointed Judge Frees Alleged MS-13 Member Facing Trafficking Charges (Viva Frei)

A federal judge has ordered the release of Gilmar Abrego Garcia, an Ecuadorian national accused of human trafficking and previously linked to the MS-13 gang. Garcia was deported during the Trump administration but later returned to the United States after a court ruled his removal unlawful. He now faces federal human smuggling charges, with prosecutors alleging he transported migrants for profit in modified vehicles. Despite the charges, Judge Waverly Crenshaw—an Obama appointee—approved his release from pretrial detention, citing a lack of evidence of flight risk or confirmed gang ties. ICE has said it will seek to detain Garcia again for removal once he is out of U.S. Marshals’ custody, while critics argue the decision endangers public safety and undermines immigration enforcement.



[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, August 26, 2025.]