The narrative surrounding Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a 26-year-old illegal immigrant and father of two deported by the Trump administration—took a dramatic turn with new evidence linking him to a human trafficking network. Contrary to earlier portrayals of him as a harmless resident, a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee revealed Garcia was transporting seven individuals from Texas to Maryland, raising suspicions of smuggling. Despite initial concerns, FBI agents instructed state police to release him. According to documents reviewed by Just The News, Garcia was driving a Chevrolet Suburban previously flagged by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Baltimore as being involved in a smuggling ring. The SUV was used to pick up undocumented individuals at the southern border. The car was tied to Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes—an illegal immigrant convicted of smuggling and sentenced to 18 months in 2020—who Garcia claimed to be working for.
Further investigations revealed some passengers in Garcia’s SUV had been deported before and reentered the U.S. illegally. Garcia, fined for erratic driving and lacking a valid license, had also been arrested in 2019 with others who admitted to being in the U.S. unlawfully. Multiple courts previously confirmed his affiliation with the MS-13 gang. Despite this, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen visited him in El Salvador’s mega-prison, fueling political controversy. Media reports and progressive activists have criticized his deportation, accusing the Trump administration of ignoring judicial orders. A delegation of House Democrats has since traveled to El Salvador to assess Garcia’s detention, escalating debate over immigration enforcement and media representation.
