President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on the case of wrongly deported Maryland immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia this Easter, threatening to pursue legal action against those who publicly contradict his administration’s misleading narrative.
“Those lying to the American people on behalf of violent criminals must be held accountable by the agencies and the courts,” Trump posted on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns. Despite court records and government admissions confirming Abrego Garcia’s deportation was a mistake, Trump and his allies continue to falsely brand him a violent MS-13 gang member.
Abrego Garcia, a Venezuelan-born immigrant, was among hundreds deported to a notorious prison camp in El Salvador last month. Though court rulings have temporarily halted these deportations, the Trump administration is aggressively fighting to resume them.
According to court documents, Abrego Garcia was detained by ICE in 2019 while seeking work outside a Home Depot. ICE claimed he was affiliated with MS-13 based solely on his Chicago Bulls hat — a logo sporadically associated with the gang — and a tip from a so-called “confidential informant” linking him to the “Westerns” MS-13 clique, a group based in Long Island, New York. Abrego Garcia, however, has never lived in New York.
A federal judge blocked his deportation later that year, granting him a protective order citing credible fears of gang persecution if returned to El Salvador. The Trump administration defied that order, forcibly removing him in March. Multiple courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court — have since affirmed the validity of the protective order and demanded the government work to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
Married to U.S. citizen Jennifer Vasquez Sura and father to a young son, Abrego Garcia’s family has led the fight for his release. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) recently met with him in El Salvador, and a delegation of Democratic lawmakers is now advocating for his safe return.
Trump, however, continues to weaponize the case for political gain, attacking both the press and Democratic officials. “It’s despicable and un-American for liberals and the mainstream media to hate our country so much and obsess over protecting criminals instead of securing our borders and streets,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Vice President JD Vance has amplified Trump’s narrative, frequently accusing “the left” of defending an alleged MS-13 member, despite mounting evidence contradicting that claim.
As pressure builds for Abrego Garcia’s safe return, Trump’s rhetoric signals a troubling push to criminalize fact-based journalism that challenges his administration’s false narratives.
