Trump admin defends deporting accused MS-13 leader to El Salvador amid backlash
The Trump administration is remaining firm in its stance to arrest Kilmer Armado Abrego Garcia following a report from The Atlantic that the federal attorneys said that there was an "administrative error" in bringing him to CECOT men’s prison in El Salvador.
However, there was strong disagreement between the administration and The Atlantic’s angle, saying that Abrego Garcia needs to be behind bars regardless of where that is because of the criminal allegations against him, including allegedly being a member of the MS-13 gang.
"If you just saw the headline from the insane, failing [The Atlantic] magazine this morning, you would think this individual was father of the year living in Maryland, living a peaceful life, and that couldn’t be further from the truth," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
"This individual is an illegal criminal who broke our nation’s immigration laws. He is a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang, and he is involved in human trafficking," she added.
"And now MS-13 is a designated foreign terrorist organization. Foreign terrorists have no legal protections in the United States of America. And this administration is going to continue to deport foreign terrorists and illegal criminals from our nation’s interior," she continued.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted to X on Tuesday to further detail the allegations against him.
"The individual in question is a member of the brutal MS-13 gang— we have intelligence reports that he is involved in human trafficking. Whether he is in El Salvador or a detention facility in the U.S., he should be locked up," she tweeted.
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"Remarkable [The Atlantic] and other MSM continue to do the bidding of these vicious gangs and ignore their victims," McLaughlin added.
The court document referenced in The Atlantic piece is from the lawsuit by Abrego Garcia against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
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"On March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error," the document, which is from DHS’s attorneys, stated.
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The attorneys for Abrego Garcia argue that he was deported without due process and there is no solid proof that he is a member of the gang, according to NBC News.
Attorneys for several removed Venezuelan migrants have emphasized that the administration has falsely labeled several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos, though administration officials have repeatedly stated those sent to the prison are the "worst of the worst."
Certain tattoos flagged as gang-affiliated, which could lead to a migrant's removal, include art of things like a crown or NBA legend Michael Jordan's famous "Jumpman" logo rather than only symbols of a notable gang in El Salvador or Venezuela.
The administration maintains that those tattoos have gang affiliations.
Vice President JD Vance got into a discussion with journalists on X about the allegations, including referencing a court filing that states that Abrego Garcia was denied bond in 2019 over an informant’s allegation that he was a member of MS-13, but he has not been convicted.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has remained supportive of the United States' efforts to bring alleged gang members to the country, as the prison was used to tackle crime issues in the Central American country, saying the "operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime" in an X post on Monday.
"Thank you President Bukele, of El Salvador, for taking the criminals that were so stupidly allowed, by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, to enter our Country, and giving them such a wonderful place to live!" Trump posted in response to Bukele's comments.
Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.