A Department of Homeland Security Investigations official testified Thursday that the human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia strengthened as investigators continued reviewing the facts, pushing back on claims that the prosecution was politically motivated.

Rana Saoud, the DHS Investigations special agent in charge of the Nashville region at the time, told the court she initiated the inquiry after learning of a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop involving Abrego Garcia and said agents followed the evidence where it led.