The White House has vowed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will "never" live in the United States again, as the Trump administration releases evidence to back up its claims about the Salvadoran man's gang affiliation.
"He will never live in the United States of America," said press secretary Karoline Leavitt, calling Garcia a "wife beater."
The administration's critics have said Garcia, widely depicted as an innocent "Maryland man" in the media, was wrongly deported to his native El Salvador without due process. Trump officials maintain that Garcia is a gang member, and they have emphasized that he was living in the U.S. illegally.
A federal judge has ordered Trump to bring Garcia, who is being held in an infamous prison in El Salvador, back to the United States. The Supreme Court has been less definitive, saying Trump must "facilitate" the man's return.
The administration has responded to critics with defiance, releasing police records Wednesday detailing Garcia's MS-13 ties. The files revealed that Garcia, while living in the U.S. illegally, was arrested with known MS-13 members outside of a Home Depot in 2019.
A police informant identified Garcia as a member of the gang, providing his rank and nickname, and immigration judges found the evidence convincing enough to deny him bail. Nevertheless, he received a "withholding of removal," shielding him from being sent back to his homeland over fears of persecution by Barrio 18, an MS-13 rival.
The Department of Homeland Security also shared a protective order Wednesday sought by Garcia's American wife, who alleged he severely beat her. She has since changed her story, however, as she fights for his return to the U.S.
"Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process," she said in a new statement. "We were able to work through this situation privately as a family, including by going to counselling. Our marriage only grew stronger in the years that followed."
At a press briefing Wednesday, Press Secretary Leavitt repeated the allegations against "wife beater" Garcia and said he would be promptly deported again if returned from El Salvador.
"If he [Mr Ábrego García] ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again," she said.
"He will never live in the United States of America."
The government's lawyers have also said Garcia, if returned to the U.S., would either be removed to a third country, or have his withholding order instantly revoked to facilitate his return to El Salvador.
A Democratic senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, traveled to El Salvador on Wednesday to see Garcia but was denied entry to the prison where he is being kept.
Some argue that Democrats are walking into a trap by rushing to Garcia's defense. The public is generally supportive of Trump's immigration crackdown, and now that the White House has shared concrete evidence of Garcia's dubious character, public sympathy for the "Maryland man" could soon dry up.
