Overview
- At a special hearing in Nashville, prosecutor Rob McGuire and HSI agent Rana Saoud defended the decision to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia over a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop.
- McGuire acknowledged the two-year gap before filing charges was “extraordinary,” maintained he made the call based on evidence, and denied being directed by headquarters.
- Testimony showed McGuire kept senior DOJ officials apprised, with Associate Deputy AG Aakash Singh calling the case a “top priority” and asking him to wait for “clearance” before filing.
- Saoud said she reopened the probe in 2025 after a news article alerted her to the 2022 stop, testified the case “kept getting stronger,” and agreed the matter drew attention because of who the defendant was.
- U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw—who earlier found a realistic likelihood of vindictiveness and ordered disclosures—did not rule and requested post-hearing briefs within 30 days, while separate rulings keep Abrego Garcia out of ICE custody and block deportation to El Salvador.