The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) responded to the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to American soil by the U.S. Department of Justice by condemning the Trump administration for purportedly attempting to conceal its wrongdoing by revealing the alleged illegal alien smuggling committed by the El Salvadorian citizen for nearly a decade.
Calling the case “an example of what could happen to all Black and brown people” when the government defies court orders in a post to X, the nonprofit stated that the charges against Abrego Garcia, “are clearly designed to cover up” the Trump administration’s “negligence,” as well as “the fact that the Supreme Court unanimously called them out on the egregious ways they are ignoring due process.”
TIRRC then noted, “Still, Mr. Abrego Garcia will now be able to have his day in court,” which the nonprofit later seemed to acknowledge may result in a conviction.
“Regardless of the outcome of this case, the Trump administration must be held accountable for steamrolling the constitutional rights of thousands of people and threatening all of our ability to feel safe and secure in the country we call home,” said the nonprofit.
Kilmar’s case is an example of what could happen to all Black and brown people when individuals of the government place themselves above the law and defy court orders. https://t.co/mcNvErO7Qi pic.twitter.com/XEHM1CJzKF
— TIRRC (@tnimmigrant) June 6, 2025
Abrego Garcia was charged with illegal alien smuggling and conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens in a Friday indictment that accused him of participating in a criminal ring for nine years, with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi adding that six co-conspirators provided information about Abrego Garcia, alleging that he solicited explicit photographs from a minor and abused the women he was charged with smuggling.
It was also alleged within the indictment that Abrego Garcia smuggled members of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Central American gang, in which he denied membership.
TIRRC’s statement comes amid scrutiny into its role in the “Belonging Fund,” which was announced by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell in response to the federal immigration enforcement operation that saw nearly 200 arrests last month. O’Connell also signed an executive order mandating Metro employees report any contact with federal immigration officials to his office and the Office of New Americans, contributing to the start of a congressional probe by U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) and the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees.
