(Headline USA) Alleged MS-13 gang affiliate Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrendered to U.S. immigration authorities in Baltimore Monday and faces possible efforts by the Trump administration to deport him immediately.
The 30-year-old Salvadoran national spoke at a rally before he turned himself in. He needed a translator, because the “Maryland man” doesn’t speak English.
Abrego Garcia entered the offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a downtown office building. His wife emerged without him a few minutes later, appearing to have tears in her eyes.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a tweet that Abrego Garcia was being processed for deportation. Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said a lawsuit had been filed in federal district court in Maryland shortly after his detention asking for an order that he not be deported.
BREAKING: Fox News has obtained video footage of Kilmar Abrego Garcia allegedly involved in human smuggling, as noted by Tennessee State Troopers.
This is the man Democrats decided to put their entire party behind lmao.
The incident happened during a traffic stop in Tennessee… pic.twitter.com/WrqkM36BkV
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 2, 2025
Mainstream media have made Abrego Garcia the face of President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, despite his criminal background. Bizarrely, media outlets have paid far less attention to the Trump administration targeting visa holders simply for criticizing Israel.
Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty on June 13 to smuggling charges, which stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. While officers suspected possible smuggling, Abrego Garcia was allowed to go on his way with only a warning. It was later reported that the FBI ordered the “Maryland man” to be released.
Body camera footage shows a calm exchange between officers and Abrego Garcia. The officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling before letting him go. One of the officers says, “He’s hauling these people for money.” Another says Abrego Garcia had $1,400 in an envelope.
The federal indictment accuses Abrego Garcia of smuggling throughout the U.S. hundreds of people living in the country illegally, including children and members of the violent MS-13 gang.
Abrego Garcia was sent to an El Salvadorian supermax prison in March, in contravention of an immigration judge’s hold on his deportation. He was returned to the U.S. earlier this month to face the human smuggling charges.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
