Defense lawyers contended the government is denying their client his right to a fair trial by repeatedly trashing him in the media.

A federal judge on Thursday instructed Justice Department lawyers to avoid making public remarks that could prejudice the jury in the criminal case against Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran national indicted last month on human smuggling charges.

His mistaken deportation became a flashpoint in tensions over the Trump Administration’s hardline immigration policy.