Washington, Oct 28 (EFE).- A federal judge in Tennessee on Monday ordered officials in President Donald Trump's administration to refrain from making statements that could harm the criminal process against Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego García, whom they are trying to deport to an African country. The order from U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw was directed to the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) and warned in its ruling that employees who fail to comply with this instruction could be sanctioned for making statements that have a 'substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing' the case. In his opinion, Crenshaw described the extrajudicial statements made by high-ranking officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as 'troubling,' noting that many of them 'have been exaggerated or simply inaccurate.' The magistrate specifically cited comments linking Abrego García to the MS-13 gang. The judge stressed that such statements violate a local rule that limits public comments by government employees on ongoing criminal cases. Therefore, he ordered the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee to formally notify DOJ and DHS officials of their obligation to respect that rule. In a separate order, Crenshaw also asked the government to turn over under seal documents explaining its change of stance regarding the defendant: shifting from the initial intent to 'deport without prosecution' to 'prosecute and then deport' Abrego García, whom authorities are seeking to send to Liberia.
