Thanks to a Supreme Court that has blessed anything short of physical torture, prosecutors have more coercive tools than ever before, including the ability to threaten to indict a defendant's family members or friends. Now, the dubious, politically motivated prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia could force a court to decide if the threat of rendition to a foreign country is another legal leverage for prosecutors.
This summer, President Donald Trump's Department of Justice offered Abrego Garcia a deal: plead guilty to human smuggling and serve time in Costa Rica or face deportation to Uganda. It is clear that the prosecution of Abrego Garcia is not about one man. Rather, the Trump Administration is relentlessly pursuing him because by fighting his unlawful rendition, Abrego Garcia is forcing the government to admit it made a mistake.
