The judge presiding over the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in Tennessee on Thursday directed both sides to stop making public statements about the case after defense lawyers argued the government was depriving him of his right to a fair trial by making inflammatory comments.

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

The 29-year-old is now detained in Tennessee after being returned to the US and is awaiting trial on human smuggling charges.