Salvadoran national extradited to U.S. to face human smuggling charges
WASHINGTON — Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national accused of orchestrating a years-long human smuggling operation, has been extradited to the United States to face federal charges, U.S. officials announced Thursday.
Garcia is charged under Title 8 U.S.C. §1324 with alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Prosecutors allege he directed a criminal network that trafficked thousands of migrants — including minors — across the U.S.-Mexico border using concealed transport vehicles and modified SUVs over a nine-year span.
The extradition followed a formal request to the Salvadoran government, which U.S. officials say was granted with the direct cooperation of President Nayib Bukele. “We’re grateful to President Bukele for agreeing to return him to our country to face these very serious charges,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
According to a federal indictment, Garcia’s smuggling ring was allegedly tied to the violent MS-13 gang and implicated in the trafficking of narcotics, firearms, and the exploitation of migrant women during border crossings. Authorities say Garcia coordinated over 100 smuggling operations as the network’s primary organizer.
Accusations of broader criminal activity emerge
Though not part of the current formal charges, officials said Garcia is also suspected of soliciting child pornography and being linked to at least one gang-related homicide. Bondi cited connections between Garcia’s network and a deadly 2021 incident in Mexico, in which over 50 migrants were killed when a tractor-trailer overturned.
Garcia first came to the attention of law enforcement during a 2021 traffic stop in Tennessee. Despite concerns, federal authorities did not take him into custody at the time. Following a renewed investigation, he was indicted by a grand jury on May 21.
If convicted, Garcia is expected to serve his sentence in the U.S. before being deported back to El Salvador.
