Abrego Garcia entered the United States in 2012 and sought asylum in 2019, after he was detained and faced deportation proceedings. Though his claim was denied, an immigration judge agreed to bar immigration officials from sending him back to El Salvador because of the potential that he might be targeted for violence by a local gang.

NASHVILLE—Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges on Friday, in an hourslong hearing in which a judge also weighed whether he should remain in custody awaiting trial.