Abrego Garcia's Wife Able to Speak With Him

One of the most high-profile targets of aggressive new immigration policies pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of smuggling undocumented migrants. Kilmar Abrego Garcia appeared in federal court in Nashville to enter his plea, reports the AP. The Maryland resident is a native of El Salvador who was picked up and errantly deported to his home country. The Trump administration returned him to the US last week under pressure from court rulings, but it also filed the new smuggling charges.

• Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, tells the Washington Post she was able to speak with her husband for the first time since he was deported in March. "Even though it was through a video screen, I was finally able to see Kilmar," she says. "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 have three children.
• The smuggling charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee, when the officer questioned him about why he was traveling with so many people without luggage, per the Hill. However, the trooper eventually let him go with a warning after running a background check, and Abrego Garcia's attorneys call the allegations "preposterous."
• Still to be determined is whether Abrego Garcia must remain in custody before trial.

(More Kilmar Abrego Garcia stories.)