Disclosure by justice department attorney contradicts statements by his own agency and White House

The US government would initiate deportation proceedings against Kilmar Ábrego García if he’s released from jail before he stands trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee, a justice department attorney told a federal judge in Maryland on Monday.

The disclosure by US lawyer Jonathan Guynn contradicts statements by spokespeople for the justice department and the White House, who said last month that Ábrego García would stand trial and possibly spend time in an American prison before the government moves to deport him.