BALTIMORE — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is continuing its effort to keep Kilmar Armando Abrego-Garcia from coming back to Maryland.
On Saturday DHS posted on X (formerly Twitter) a December 2022 investigative referral report out of Tennessee where Abrego-Garcia was pulled over for speeding and suspected of Labor and/or Human Trafficking.
Last month ICE agents arrested the undocumented Salvadoran man in Baltimore, for alleged ties to the murderous MS-13 gang.
Abrego-Garcia had been living in Maryland since 2012, with his now wife and child, both of whom are American citizens. He denies any gang associations.
Back in 2019 a U.S. immigration judge ruled Abrego-Garcia could be deported, just not to El Salvador, over potential safety concerns.
The Trump administration later conceded Abrego-Garcia's deportation to a Salvadoran prison was in error, but since he's now in the custody of a foreign government, the White House says it no longer has power to order his return.
Abrego-Garcia's arrest generated national attention, leading to lawsuits and masMS-13 Baltimores protests.
A Federal District Court judge in Maryland ordered Trump and company to "effectuate" Abrego-Garcia's release.
The Supreme Court got involved on appeal, ruling the administration must "facilitate his release."
There's now an ongoing court battle between the Executive and Judicial branches on what that exactly means.
The White House has expressed extreme frustration with the media's portrayal of Abrego-Garcia as a "Maryland Father or Maryland Man," wrongly deported to El Salvador.
They've made a concerted effort over the last week to paint Abrego-Garcia as a foreign terrorist involved in human trafficking.
On April 16, DHS took to X sharing copies of a 2021 protective order Abrgeo-Garcia's wife filed against him in Prince George's County.
"According to court filings, Garcia’s wife sought a domestic violence restraining order against him, claiming he punched, scratched, and ripped off her shirt, among other harm. This MS-13 gang member is not a sympathetic figure," DHS wrote.
A couple hours later Attorney General Pam Bondi released several pages of documents she says proves Abrego-Garcia's MS-13 membership.
In those documents, a Prince George's County Police Gang Unit explained how Abrego-Garcia's wearing of a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie, signifies a certain credo within MS-13.
"The meaning of the clothing is to represent "ver, oir y callar" or "see no evil, hear- no evil and say no evil," detectives wrote. "Wearing the Chicago Bulls hat represents that they are a member in good standing with the MS-13."
The detectives also cite a "past proven and reliable source of information," who confirmed Abrego-Garcia's membership with the gang's "Westerns Clique" chapter. That same informant told detectives Abrego-Garcia held the rank of "Chequeo," and the moniker "Chele."
A man detained with Abrego-Garcia in 2019, outside a Hyattsville Home Depot, added that MS-13 members are only allowed to hang around fellow members or prospects of the gang.
This led President Donald Trump to post on X a picture of a tattooed hand purported to be Abrego Garcia's, stating "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck pic.twitter.com/m0mA0MwlUp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 19, 2025
Following the document dump, DHS officials publicly released an internal report further detailing Abrego-Garcia's 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
A State Highway Patrolman stopped Abrego-Garcia while driving in the company of eight other people.
Abrego-Garcia presented the Tennessee trooper with a "Limited Term Temporary" Maryland Drivers License.
He reportedly told the officer the car belonged to his boss, claiming that he'd been driving three days, from Houston, Texas to Temple Hills, Maryland.
When asked about the other individuals in the car with him, Abrego-Garcia told police he was transporting them to work construction.
"There was no luggage in the vehicle, leading the encountering officer to suspect this was a human trafficking incident," the DHS investigative referral report states. "All the passengers gave the same home address as the subject's home address. During the interview, subject pretended to speak less English than he was capable of and attempted to put encountering officer off-track by responding to questions with questions."
The trooper ultimately decided to let Abrego-Garcia go with a warning, however the circumstances left police and DHS suspicious.
"Encountering officer gathered names of other occupants in vehicle, but could not read their handwriting, but did not pursue further due to no citation being issued."
Meanwhile efforts by Democratic leaders and activist organizations to secure Abrego-Garcia's release are ongoing.
Last week Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen visited Abrego-Garcia in El Salvador, to get an update on his condition.
Van Hollen said Abrego-Garcia felt traumatized.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele then put out multiple X posts, appearing to mock Van Hollen's trip.
Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody 🇺🇸🤝🏼🇸🇻 https://t.co/2xVt4SNOGn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025
The White House piled on, questioning the Senator's motives, comparing the photo of Van Hollen and Abrego-Garcia to a photo of Trump with Patty Morin, the Maryland mother of Rachel Morin, who was raped and murdered by another man in the country illegally from El Salvador.
We are not the same. pic.twitter.com/yTUoSXmCBa
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 18, 2025
For now Abrego-Garcia remains jailed in his country of origin, while litigation plays out.
On Thursday, a federal Appeals Court denied the Trump Administration's emergency request to stop a Maryland judge from ordering depositions from DHS and DOJ officials.
So far Trump's team remains defiant, with Bondi vowing to keep Abrego-Garica out.