A Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported from the US before being returned to face criminal charges has pleaded not guilty to two counts related to alleged human trafficking.
Trump officials claim that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that Mr Ábrego García’s lawyers and family have strongly denied.
After he was deported in March, government officials initially said he could not be brought back to the US, but later had him brought to Tennessee where he was charged.
Mr Ábrego García first entered the US illegally in 2011 and was granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019 because it was determined he might face danger from gangs if returned to his native El Salvador.
The defendant pleads guilty in around 95% of cases in the US. However that usually comes as a plea deal before court.