INTERNACIONAL
Returned illegal Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty; judge yet to rule on pretrial custody
Illegal migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia set to face judge
The Oversight Project President Mike Howell joins ‘Fox & Friends First’ to break down the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant deported to El Salvador who is now back in the U.S. and facing legal proceedings.
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After nearly six hours of testimony Friday, accused human trafficker Kilmar Abrego Garcia is no closer to learning whether he can be released from custody pending his federal trial in Nashville.
The pretrial hearing began with Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants and conspiring with others to do so, pleading not guilty.
Garcia’s legal team told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes Friday it had time to review the indictment and that Garcia understood what he is accused of before he formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 traffic stop.
The federal criminal case against Abrego Garcia comes after a high-profile, protracted legal fight over his deportation and the Trump administration’s efforts to delay his return to the U.S., even after the Supreme Court ordered the administration to «facilitate» his release.
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A court sketch of Kilmar Abrego Garcia during the first day of a pretrial hearing (Paul Collins)
Abrego Garcia sat silently during the proceedings, wearing a red jumpsuit with an orange undershirt, his gaze mostly concentrated on the prosecution and a window in the courtroom. Abrego Garcia’s mother, brother and wife were present in court, as were members of the nonprofit Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which was helping with some translations for the family and providing moral support.
During the hearing, the prosecution brought forward Special Agent Peter Joseph, who told prosecutors he was first assigned to Abrego Garcia’s case in April 2025, when Abrego Garcia was still detained in El Salvador.
Since then, Joseph said, he has reviewed footage from Abrego Garcia’s 2022 traffic stop, which has emerged as the basis of the human smuggling charges.
At the time, Joseph told prosecutors, Abrego Garcia had been driving a vehicle with nine passengers and was pulled over while traveling from St. Louis to Maryland with an expired license.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia with a translator (Paul Collins)
Six of the nine passengers in the vehicle have since been identified as being in the country illegally, Joseph said, adding one passenger in the van told officers he was born in 2007, which would have made him just 15 at the time.
Joseph said that, based on evidence, Abrego Garcia was paid $1,000 per trip and that he would transport 50 people per month.
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In addition to the smuggling, Joseph alleged Abrego Garcia also engaged in inappropriate conduct with underage girls he was transporting, including a 15-year-old allegedly asked by Abrego Garcia to send him nude photos.
During the defense’s cross-examination, however, it was noted that Joseph was not present for some of the interviews with female sources, which led the defense to claim his testimony was based on hearsay and should be thrown out.
Holmes, however, allowed all the testimony, without striking anything.
Full court view from behind Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura (Paul Collins)
Acting U.S. Attorney Robert McGuire also discussed two protective orders filed by Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, in 2020 and 2021, in which she described him as abusive and domineering.
McGuire argued in favor of Abrego Garcia remaining detained pending trial, saying he poses a flight risk and a danger to the public based on what he called a commonsense view of the highway patrol traffic stop and the evidence presented in court of there being serious concerns about the transportation of minors.
However, Will Allensworth, a federal public defender representing Abrego Garcia, argued the testimony was disorganized and that it is unclear how much of it was based on hearsay. He claimed there should be no concern about Abrego Garcia being a flight risk because he would go straight into ICE custody.
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Abrego Garcia in court (Paul Collins)
Another public defender, Dumaka Shabazz, argued the charge being leveled is not a crime of terrorism, which he said clearly supports his release. Shabazz also said Abrego Garcia has experienced trauma and depression due to his deportation, has strong ties to the community and all of his loved ones are in the U.S., so he has no incentive to flee.
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Holmes did not set a date for the next court hearing but said it will be determined soon.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Lionel Messi visitó con Inter Miami a Donald Trump: la comparación con Pelé y los elogios del presidente para Mascherano, Suárez y De Paul
INTERNACIONAL
Private flights account for 30% of departures from Oman airport as wealthy evacuate Middle East
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Long border crossings, SUV convoys and six-figure jet charters have become the new escape route out of the Middle East as Operation Epic Fury intensifies, with private flights now accounting for nearly a third of all departures from Oman’s main airport.
FlightRadar24, a real-time flight tracking platform, reported that while Oman continues to be a «vital» hub for evacuation and repatriation flights, private flights accounted for 31% of operations Wednesday at Muscat International Airport.
As of Thursday afternoon, the platform reported more than 30% of all movements at the airport were private flights.
Semafor reported earlier this week that airports in Oman and Saudi Arabia were drawing ultra-wealthy travelers looking to leave the countries.
Oman continues to be a «vital» hub for evacuation flights at its Muscat International Airport. (Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
People familiar with the matter told the outlet that private security companies have been booking fleets of SUVs to take people on the 10-hour drive from Dubai to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where private flights are available.
The clientele evacuating the region are a mix of senior executives at global finance firms and wealthy travelers in the region for business or vacation, according to Semafor.
LIV golfer Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner, was just one of the wealthy who arranged flights amid the turmoil.
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Rahm arranged a charter flight through his partnership with VistaJet, a private aviation company, to fly the seven stranded LIV golfers and a caddie from Oman to Hong Kong after their flights were canceled.
After a more than four-hour drive to Oman, the crew flew to Hong Kong.
A spokesperson for Air Charter Service, a company that acts as a global broker for private jets and freight transport, told FOX Business the company has arranged more than 10 evacuation flights, with more scheduled, mainly out of Oman with passengers looking to flee Dubai.
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FlightRadar24 shared flights flying in and out of Muscat airport. (@Flightradar24 via X)
«We evacuated some of our own staff who were just visiting the region, and we arranged transport via the Hatta crossing into Oman from the UAE to get them to Muscat from where they flew out of the region,» the spokesperson said. «The border crossing time at Hatta took around 3–4 hours, as of Sunday, but I suspect this has increased now, as more people look at this option.»
Light flight jet trips from Muscat, Oman, to Istanbul, Turkey, are reportedly going for more than $93,000, according to Forbes, which said the price was about double the usual rate.
The outlet added the same route on heavy jets can cost up to $140,000.
AMERICANS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN MIDDLE EAST NATIONS URGED TO FLEE
This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes. (Fox News)
The U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran Saturday, triggering retaliatory attacks targeting countries in the region that host U.S. interests.
Mora Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, advised U.S. citizens to leave Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
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The limited number of available aircraft has pushed up prices, as citizens and travelers attempt to flee.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
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war with iran,middle east,airports,travel,world,airlines,lifestyle
INTERNACIONAL
DOJ continues Biden autopen probe despite former president being unlikely to face charges
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) is continuing its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen in the final months of his administration — focusing on pardons and commutations — though a senior official said Biden himself is unlikely to face criminal exposure.
A senior DOJ official told Fox News that the autopen investigation is ongoing and not closed, adding that investigators are reviewing clemency actions taken in the final months of the Biden administration.
The official also pointed out, however, that the use of an autopen by a sitting president is «established law.»
The issue under review is whether the autopen was used in violation of the law — specifically, whether Biden personally approved each name included on pardon and commutation lists.
A framed portrait shows former President Joe Biden’s signature and an autopen along «The Presidential Walk of Fame» outside the Oval Office of the White House. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
«These types of cases are tough, executive privilege issues come into play,» the official said.
What is also clear, the official indicated, is that the target of any potential prosecution would not likely be Biden.
«It’s hard to imagine how [Biden] could be criminally liable for pardon power,» the senior DOJ official said.
BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING
The use of the autopen by former President Joe Biden remains under investigation. (AP Photo)
The official noted that one reason the former president would be unlikely to face charges stems from a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that originally involved President Donald Trump, the current sitting president, but would also apply to Biden.
«We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office,» the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States in 2024. «At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute.»
Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team continues to review the Biden White House’s reliance on an autopen, contradicting a recent New York Times report that indicated the investigation had been paused.
DOJ SIGNALS IT’S STILL DIGGING INTO BIDEN AUTOPEN USE DESPITE REPORTS PROBE FIZZLED
President Donald Trump has pushed for consequences tied to former President Joe Biden’s alleged use of the autopen. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
Trump has pushed for consequences tied to the autopen controversy, alleging on social media that aides acted unlawfully in its use and raising the prospect of perjury charges against Biden.
Biden has rejected those claims, saying in a statement last year that he personally directed the decisions in question.
«Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,» Biden said. «I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.»
The House Oversight Committee has homed in on Biden’s clemency actions, including five controversial pardons for family members in the final days of his presidency, citing what it described as a lack of «contemporaneous documentation» confirming that Biden directly ordered the pardons.
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The committee asked the DOJ to investigate «all of former President Biden’s executive actions, particularly clemency actions, to assess whether legal action must be taken to void any action that the former president did not, in fact, take himself.»
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.
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justice department,joe biden,investigations,white house,biden executive orders,donald trump,politics
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