Three-Time Felon Granted One-Year Deportation Stay for Testimony Against Kilmar Abrego García

WASHINGTON – Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, a 38-year-old three-time convicted felon, has been granted an agreement by the Trump administration to be spared deportation for at least one year. This arrangement is in exchange for his testimony in the federal prosecution of Kilmar Abrego García, who faces human smuggling charges. Hernandez Reyes, who has a history of multiple deportations and criminal convictions, was released early from federal prison to a halfway house as part of this cooperation deal.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism, with some observers questioning the ethical implications of the agreement. Richard Hanania, in a social media post, stated, > "The administration is going to release him from prison and has agreed not to deport him for at least a year in exchange for this testimony. Hernandez Reyes has previously been deported five times!" Hanania further highlighted that Abrego García has no prior criminal record, calling the administration's actions "desperate" and lacking principles.

Hernandez Reyes's criminal history includes convictions for smuggling migrants, illegally re-entering the United States after deportation, and "deadly conduct" related to a 2022 incident where he fired a gun in a Texas community. According to court records and official testimony, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent testified that Hernandez Reyes would otherwise have been deported for a sixth time in the coming months. Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, remarked that this situation "is just further evidence of how the government is using Kilmar’s case to further their propaganda and prove their political point."

Kilmar Abrego García, a construction worker from Maryland, became a focal point in the debate over immigration policy after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, despite a 2019 court order shielding him from removal due to gang threats. Following a Supreme Court order, the administration returned him to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges, which his attorneys have vehemently denied as "preposterous." He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The federal investigation against Abrego García centers on a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where he was driving a vehicle owned by Hernandez Reyes with eight passengers. Hernandez Reyes, identified by prosecutors as the "first cooperator" in the case, told federal investigators he had previously operated an "illegal taxi service" and hired Abrego García on "multiple occasions" to transport undocumented migrants. The outcome of Abrego García's trial and the long-term implications of Hernandez Reyes's cooperation agreement remain under close scrutiny.