Lawyers for man mistakenly deported from US say he should be freed while DOJ pursues new charges

FILE PHOTO: Jennifer Vasquez Sura, wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, looks on during a press conference with other family members, supporters and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

(Reuters) -Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March and returned on Friday, said their client should be set free while the U.S. Department of Justice pursues new criminal charges against him.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday had asked a federal judge in Tennessee to detain Abrego Garcia while he is prosecuted on newly-filed charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the United States.