A federal judge dismissed criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Thursday, finding that the government had engaged in vindictive prosecution in bringing human smuggling allegations against the Salvadoran national who became a central figure in legal battles over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies.

The ruling, issued by a Tennessee federal court, threw out the case on grounds that the charges appeared to be retaliatory — filed in response to Abrego Garcia's legal challenges after he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year. The Justice Department had charged him with human trafficking and smuggling offenses, accusations his attorneys argued were pretextual and brought in bad faith.

Abrego Garcia's case drew national attention after the government acknowledged that his removal to El Salvador was an administrative error, as he had held a protective order shielding him from deportation to that country. A series of federal court rulings ordered the administration to facilitate his return to the United States, setting off a prolonged legal standoff between the executive branch and the judiciary.

The dismissal is a significant legal defeat for the Department of Justice, whose prosecution of Abrego Garcia had been viewed by critics as an attempt to justify his continued detention and counter court orders demanding his return. The judge's finding of vindictive prosecution means the charges were deemed to have been brought for improper purposes rather than legitimate law enforcement interests.

The administration had maintained that the criminal charges were based on independent evidence of wrongdoing and were unrelated to the civil immigration litigation. Abrego Garcia's legal team and supporters disputed that characterization throughout the proceedings, arguing the timing and nature of the charges demonstrated a pattern of retaliation against an individual who had successfully challenged his deportation in federal court.