A newly released Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a citizen of El Salvador who was deported by the Trump administration, cites a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee as the catalyst for labeling the Maryland sheet metal worker a gang-affiliated human trafficker.
The report, issued by Homeland Security Investigations’ Combined Intelligence Unit—and called a “bombshell” by DHS in its press release—outlines the circumstances of a December 1, 2022, traffic stop in which Tennessee Highway Patrol officers pulled over Abrego Garcia for speeding on Interstate 40 while he was traveling with eight other people in the vehicle.
Why It Matters
Abrego Garcia’s deportation has become a flashpoint as President Donald Trump follows through on campaign promises of mass deportations. The Trump administration, without evidence, claims he is affiliated with the MS-13 gang. He was expelled to El Salvador last month, drawing intense scrutiny after DHS later admitted his removal was the result of an “administrative error.”
Despite a unanimous 9-0 Supreme Court ruling ordering the administration to facilitate his return, the White House has resisted, arguing the courts cannot interfere with the president’s diplomatic authority.
What To Know
According to the DHS summary, officers noted eight other individuals in the vehicle and no visible luggage, prompting suspicions of human trafficking. All passengers reportedly gave Abrego Garcia’s home address as their own, according to the report.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a MS-13 gang member, illegal alien from El Salvador, and suspected human trafficker,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement accompanying the report. “The facts reveal he was pulled over with eight individuals in a car on an admitted three-day journey from Texas to Maryland with no luggage. The facts speak for themselves, and they reek of human trafficking.”
The encounter concluded without criminal charges. The officer issued a warning for an expired Maryland “Limited Term Temporary” driver’s license and collected the names of the other passengers, though officials said their handwriting was illegible and no further steps were taken.
DHS
Abrego Garcia, DHS claimed in the report, attempted to mislead the officer by pretending to speak less English than he could and by deflecting questions. At the time, federal law enforcement instructed Tennessee authorities not to detain him.
In response to the DHS report, Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, defended his actions and said he frequently drove coworkers to construction sites. “Kilmar worked in construction and sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites, so it’s entirely plausible he would have been pulled over while driving with others in the vehicle,” she told USA Today.
“He was not charged with any crime or cited for any wrongdoing.”
The traffic stop is just the latest development in a broader legal and political controversy. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March under the Trump administration’s revived immigration enforcement program, despite previous court rulings that blocked his removal.
Upon arrival, he was imprisoned in the CECOT mega-prison near Tecoluca, a facility central to President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gangs. But Bukele later permitted him to speak with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who traveled to El Salvador to advocate for Garcia’s release.
What People Are Saying
Trump, during a news conference at the White House on Friday, said: “You’re talking about Abrego Garcia—he is an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member, and foreign terrorist. This comes from the State Department and very legitimate sources, I assume. I’m just giving you what they handed to me, but this is supposed to be certified stuff.”
Judge Harvie Wilkinson III, appointee of GOP icon and former President Ronald Reagan, wrote in a ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: “The respect that courts must accord the Executive must be reciprocated by the Executive’s respect for the courts. This case presents a unique chance to vindicate that value—and to summon the best that is within us while there is still time.”
Vasquez Sura told Newsweek on Tuesday: “Our marriage only grew stronger in the years that followed. No one is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. But that is not a justification for ICE’s actions—abducting him and deporting him to a country from which he was supposed to be protected.”
What Happens Next
If the U.S. and El Salvador say they do not have the power to return Abrego Garcia, his fate remains uncertain. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said she would move quickly on the case and invited the plaintiffs to conduct depositions with DHS, ICE and the State Department by April 23.
