Returned illegal Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty; judge yet to rule on pretrial custody

After nearly six hours of testimony Friday, accused human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia is no closer to learning whether he can be released from custody pending his federal trial in Nashville.

The pretrial hearing began with Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants and conspiring with others to do so, pleading not guilty.

Garcia’s legal team told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes Friday it had time to review the indictment and that Garcia understood what he is accused of before he formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 traffic stop.

The federal criminal case against Abrego Garcia comes after a high-profile, protracted legal fight o...