The judge did not rule immediately on whether he will stay in custody while he awaits trial, the latest event in a monthslong back-and-forth since he was erroneously sent to a prison in El Salvador.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, pleaded innocent Friday to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Tennessee.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling in Tennessee, with defence claiming the charges are meant to justify his mistaken deportation.