A federal judge in Texas has dismissed the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant who was facing deportation after being swept up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation. The ruling, issued late Tuesday by US District Judge Orlando Ruiz, found that the government had failed to provide evidence that Garcia had committed any crime beyond his immigration status. Sources close to the case confirm that the judge's decision was a sharp rebuke to the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement tactics.
Garcia's defence team released a statement calling the dismissal a victory for due process. The government has not yet indicated whether it will appeal the ruling.
