Criminal defense attorneys representing Kilmar Abrego Garica on Friday submitted their recommended questionnaire for the potential jurors who may decide their client’s face at his trial in January 2026, revealing they seek to poll jurors about their views on illegal immigration, social media use, and news consumption habits.
The proposed jury questionnaire submitted by the alleged human smuggler on Friday contains three questions about media consumption and social media use, beginning by quizzing potential jurors about what news publications, whether online or in print, they read regularly to receive daily news.
His attorneys also want jurors to state what social media platforms they use, and for what purpose, and to list the, “radio stations, podcasts, or television shows,” which they usually consume.
The interest in the potential jurors’ media consumption comes after the immigration lawsuits by Abrego Garcia, in addition to the federal human smuggling charges against him, have raised his profile, with multiple members of the Trump administration commenting on the case publicly.
Such remarks have sparked warnings from Abrego Garcia’s attorneys about the risk to the impartiality of the jury pool, and prompted them to urge Obama-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw to gag members of the Trump administration from further comments about their client.
Notably, the federal case stems from the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) traffic stop of Abrego Garcia in November 2022, which was reported by The Tennessee Star in April. The Star later obtained the body-worn camera footage from the traffic stop, and portions of the video were broadcast by editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy on the John Fredericks Radio Network. It was also included in the documentary, “Michael Patrick Leahy Investigates: Due Process and the Case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire recently said the government would not oppose the release of the footage, as it had already received millions of views after being released to national media outlets.
A spokesman for THP later told The Star that the “Biden-era FBI” instructed troopers to release Abrego Garcia, while a document released by the Trump administration showed that troopers suspected human trafficking.
In addition to the standard questions Abrego Garica’s attorneys want to ask possible jurors in order to determine their level of knowledge regarding the charges against about Abrego Garcia, the questionnaire reveals they also want the jury candidates to explain how they obtained the information.
The candidates would then be requested to list names of “television, newspaper, or social media” outlets which informed their knowledge of the Abrego Garcia case.
Beyond Abrego Garcia, the submitted questions would also quiz jurors about whether they hold an, “opinion on federal immigration law, including the federal laws concerning the smuggling of undocumented immigrants,” which could prevent impartiality.
The questionnaire would also ask potential jurors about their feelings about the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the American immigration system, and “immigrants who are present in the United States without lawful status,” with requirements to explain their answers to some of the questions.
In a notice attached to the questions, Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Sean Hecker of the New York-based Hecker & Fink, clarified that the DOJ was still reviewing the proposal at the time they submitted them to the court.
Abrego Garcia’s case is currently scheduled to reach trial in January 2026. He has pleaded not guilty.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Kilmar Abrego Garcia” by President Nayib Bukele .
He has no rights in our country.
Enough of this nonsense. He is an illegal alien, period. He has been involved with human trafficking and has been cited for domestic violence. In short, he is a criminal three times over. I don’t care how much money he pays for counsel nor from where that money comes. His ongoing case ties up the court system with the court hearing costs borne by the taxpayer; The costs associated with his incarceration are borne by the taxpayer. Get this criminal out of here now! I am sick and tired of him and those supporting him.
Why is this noaccount still in the USA. Didn’t he get a deportation order a few years back? I guess our laws do not apply to illegals.