White House Intensifies Justification for Deporting Abrego Garcia
The public discourse surrounding deportation stands as the most prominent immigration battle during Trump’s second term.
TroibNews 
The White House is actively constructing a narrative about the Salvadoran deported by the U.S. last month as part of a strategy aimed at countering growing criticism from Democrats and increasing judicial scrutiny.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's deportation has emerged as a symbol of the administration’s hardline immigration policy, aligning with President Donald Trump's commitment to rapidly deport large numbers of individuals who entered the country unlawfully.
Central to Trump's political stance is the claim that prominent deportees are dangerous criminals. However, Abrego Garcia has never faced criminal charges, and federal judges have described the administration's actions as "shocking," characterizing its claims about him as weak.
“We were inundated by millions of people, many millions during the Biden administration,” Trump stated on Thursday when discussing the Abrego Garcia case. “A big percentage of those are criminals, serious criminals...Many of those people murdered more than one person, and they’re on the loose. I was elected to get rid of those criminals.”
A federal judge mandated that the administration "facilitate" Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. after acknowledging that his deportation to a Salvadoran prison was due to an "administrative error." The Supreme Court upheld this decision last week, emphasizing that the deportation was "illegal" as a judge had determined he faced a credible risk of persecution from local gangs.
In recent remarks, Trump’s aides argued they are unable to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., labeling him an MS-13 gang member and a “terrorist,” while shifting responsibility to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele to remove him from the country's high-security prison.
The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have released multiple documents in the past few days, alleging that Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland prior to his deportation, has a criminal record. The administration has also highlighted a separate case of a Maryland mother who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, attempting to connect Abrego Garcia's situation to Trump's wider commitment to expelling criminal migrants.
In an opinion dated April 6, the judge who ruled in favor of Abrego Garcia, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, noted that the Justice Department had “offered no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any terrorist activity.”
The judge pointed out that six years earlier, immigration officials had accused him of gang affiliation based solely on “a vague, uncorroborated allegation from a confidential informant” and his choice to wear Chicago Bulls apparel.
Despite this, the White House has heightened its rhetoric.
“MS-13 rapes innocent girls and women, runs sex trafficking operations, murders for sport and terrorizes law abiding people, but that is not enough,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “All of that is not enough to stop the Democrat party from their lies. The No. 1 issue they are focused on right now is bringing back this illegal alien terrorist to America.”
Even if Abrego Garcia were the serious threat the White House claims, his deportation to El Salvador would still violate the law since a 2019 immigration court order prohibiting this action remained in effect. The Trump administration could have attempted to have this order lifted by presenting evidence of alleged terrorist activities but chose not to do so.
Criticism of Abrego Garcia's deportation has surged this week, rekindling a partisan debate over immigration that had simmered in recent months. The discussion highlights the political challenges facing the administration as it navigates disputes with judges and broadens the scope of immigrants targeted for removal.
Democrats, who have largely remained quiet on the issue since Trump's return to office, have amplified their concerns, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveling to El Salvador this week in an effort to secure Abrego Garcia's release. He met with Abrego Garcia on Thursday evening after being turned away from the Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center earlier in the day by military personnel instructed to deny access. Van Hollen later posted a photo of himself with Abrego Garcia at a table on Thursday night.
Bukele shared further images of their meeting, humorously noting that Abrego Garcia had “miraculously risen from the 'death camps' & 'torture,' now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” He also confirmed that Abrego Garcia would remain in custody in El Salvador.
Van Hollen clarified earlier that he was not in El Salvador to “vouch for” any version of events or the administration’s claims about Abrego Garcia’s history but rather to advocate for the integrity of the U.S. judicial system.
Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally around 2011. In 2019, immigration officials initiated deportation proceedings following his arrest in a Home Depot parking lot, where his attorneys assert he was seeking work as a day laborer. The immigration judge’s order halting his deportation to El Salvador was still active when the Trump administration deported him on March 15.
“We need to make sure that the court system works, and due process works because if you take it away for any individual, it’s a very short road to taking it away for every American,” Van Hollen remarked.
In response to Van Hollen’s trip, the White House organized an emotional briefing featuring Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered in 2023 while jogging. Her killer, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was recently convicted for the brutal crime.
“These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country. These are the kind of criminals we need to remove from our country,” Patty Morin emphasized. “We are American citizens, why should we allow people like this — violent criminals who have no conscience at all — to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters?”
The struggle over messaging continues as Trump officials maintain in court that they cannot return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. Xinis has expressed growing frustration at the administration's failure to provide updates mandated by her orders, stating officials have done “nothing” to comply. The Justice Department has appealed Xinis’ ruling, but a federal appeals court confirmed her directive on Thursday.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia last month alongside hundreds of other men to a mega-prison in El Salvador as part of an agreement with the Central American nation. Soon thereafter, a government lawyer indicated in court that he had encouraged the administration to reconsider its stance, subsequently facing leave from his position.
The administration has slowly unveiled details about Abrego Garcia’s background, branding him an “Illegal immigrant. Gang member. Domestic abuser,” as stated on the White House rapid response page on X. “The new hero of the Democrat Party.”
The Department of Homeland Security has shared documents, including court records, indicating that Abrego Garcia's wife sought a restraining order against him for domestic violence. While she filed a temporary order of protection in 2021, she explained this week that she acted from “caution” given past experiences of abuse in previous relationships.
“We were able to work through this situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura stated. “Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him.”
Additionally, a DHS official confirmed a report from the Tennessee Star alleging that Abrego Garcia was suspected of human trafficking during a December 2022 traffic stop. He was pulled over while transporting other passengers from Texas to Maryland, and after consulting with the FBI, the agency ultimately allowed them to leave.
The Justice Department has also released police documents from the Prince George’s County Police Department that reportedly include evidence claiming Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, referencing his clothing and the individuals with whom he was arrested.
Notably, the identity of the officer who completed the document was redacted. The New Republic reported that the officer who alleged Abrego Garcia's gang ties was suspended for serious misconduct shortly after submitting the paperwork.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's deportation has emerged as a symbol of the administration’s hardline immigration policy, aligning with President Donald Trump's commitment to rapidly deport large numbers of individuals who entered the country unlawfully.
Central to Trump's political stance is the claim that prominent deportees are dangerous criminals. However, Abrego Garcia has never faced criminal charges, and federal judges have described the administration's actions as "shocking," characterizing its claims about him as weak.
“We were inundated by millions of people, many millions during the Biden administration,” Trump stated on Thursday when discussing the Abrego Garcia case. “A big percentage of those are criminals, serious criminals...Many of those people murdered more than one person, and they’re on the loose. I was elected to get rid of those criminals.”
A federal judge mandated that the administration "facilitate" Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. after acknowledging that his deportation to a Salvadoran prison was due to an "administrative error." The Supreme Court upheld this decision last week, emphasizing that the deportation was "illegal" as a judge had determined he faced a credible risk of persecution from local gangs.
In recent remarks, Trump’s aides argued they are unable to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., labeling him an MS-13 gang member and a “terrorist,” while shifting responsibility to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele to remove him from the country's high-security prison.
The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have released multiple documents in the past few days, alleging that Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland prior to his deportation, has a criminal record. The administration has also highlighted a separate case of a Maryland mother who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, attempting to connect Abrego Garcia's situation to Trump's wider commitment to expelling criminal migrants.
In an opinion dated April 6, the judge who ruled in favor of Abrego Garcia, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, noted that the Justice Department had “offered no evidence linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or to any terrorist activity.”
The judge pointed out that six years earlier, immigration officials had accused him of gang affiliation based solely on “a vague, uncorroborated allegation from a confidential informant” and his choice to wear Chicago Bulls apparel.
Despite this, the White House has heightened its rhetoric.
“MS-13 rapes innocent girls and women, runs sex trafficking operations, murders for sport and terrorizes law abiding people, but that is not enough,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “All of that is not enough to stop the Democrat party from their lies. The No. 1 issue they are focused on right now is bringing back this illegal alien terrorist to America.”
Even if Abrego Garcia were the serious threat the White House claims, his deportation to El Salvador would still violate the law since a 2019 immigration court order prohibiting this action remained in effect. The Trump administration could have attempted to have this order lifted by presenting evidence of alleged terrorist activities but chose not to do so.
Criticism of Abrego Garcia's deportation has surged this week, rekindling a partisan debate over immigration that had simmered in recent months. The discussion highlights the political challenges facing the administration as it navigates disputes with judges and broadens the scope of immigrants targeted for removal.
Democrats, who have largely remained quiet on the issue since Trump's return to office, have amplified their concerns, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveling to El Salvador this week in an effort to secure Abrego Garcia's release. He met with Abrego Garcia on Thursday evening after being turned away from the Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center earlier in the day by military personnel instructed to deny access. Van Hollen later posted a photo of himself with Abrego Garcia at a table on Thursday night.
Bukele shared further images of their meeting, humorously noting that Abrego Garcia had “miraculously risen from the 'death camps' & 'torture,' now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” He also confirmed that Abrego Garcia would remain in custody in El Salvador.
Van Hollen clarified earlier that he was not in El Salvador to “vouch for” any version of events or the administration’s claims about Abrego Garcia’s history but rather to advocate for the integrity of the U.S. judicial system.
Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally around 2011. In 2019, immigration officials initiated deportation proceedings following his arrest in a Home Depot parking lot, where his attorneys assert he was seeking work as a day laborer. The immigration judge’s order halting his deportation to El Salvador was still active when the Trump administration deported him on March 15.
“We need to make sure that the court system works, and due process works because if you take it away for any individual, it’s a very short road to taking it away for every American,” Van Hollen remarked.
In response to Van Hollen’s trip, the White House organized an emotional briefing featuring Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, who was murdered in 2023 while jogging. Her killer, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was recently convicted for the brutal crime.
“These are the kind of criminals President Trump wants to remove from our country. These are the kind of criminals we need to remove from our country,” Patty Morin emphasized. “We are American citizens, why should we allow people like this — violent criminals who have no conscience at all — to murder our mothers, our sisters, our daughters?”
The struggle over messaging continues as Trump officials maintain in court that they cannot return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. Xinis has expressed growing frustration at the administration's failure to provide updates mandated by her orders, stating officials have done “nothing” to comply. The Justice Department has appealed Xinis’ ruling, but a federal appeals court confirmed her directive on Thursday.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia last month alongside hundreds of other men to a mega-prison in El Salvador as part of an agreement with the Central American nation. Soon thereafter, a government lawyer indicated in court that he had encouraged the administration to reconsider its stance, subsequently facing leave from his position.
The administration has slowly unveiled details about Abrego Garcia’s background, branding him an “Illegal immigrant. Gang member. Domestic abuser,” as stated on the White House rapid response page on X. “The new hero of the Democrat Party.”
The Department of Homeland Security has shared documents, including court records, indicating that Abrego Garcia's wife sought a restraining order against him for domestic violence. While she filed a temporary order of protection in 2021, she explained this week that she acted from “caution” given past experiences of abuse in previous relationships.
“We were able to work through this situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling,” Jennifer Vasquez Sura stated. “Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him.”
Additionally, a DHS official confirmed a report from the Tennessee Star alleging that Abrego Garcia was suspected of human trafficking during a December 2022 traffic stop. He was pulled over while transporting other passengers from Texas to Maryland, and after consulting with the FBI, the agency ultimately allowed them to leave.
The Justice Department has also released police documents from the Prince George’s County Police Department that reportedly include evidence claiming Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, referencing his clothing and the individuals with whom he was arrested.
Notably, the identity of the officer who completed the document was redacted. The New Republic reported that the officer who alleged Abrego Garcia's gang ties was suspended for serious misconduct shortly after submitting the paperwork.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
