Judge suggests DOJ leadership pushed for Abrego Garcia prosecution

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Justice to turn over internal records tied to its decision to investigate and charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, signaling growing judicial skepticism that senior DOJ leadership may have pushed the prosecution while publicly denying involvement.

The order, issued earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw and unsealed on Tuesday, requires prosecutors to produce documents related to the opening of a criminal investigation and the pursuit of charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop. The investigation was launched earlier this year while Abrego Garcia was being held at El Salvador’s CECOT maximum-security prison.