Tennessee bodycam of 'Maryland man' traffic stop shows troopers' hands tied despite smuggling clues
The Tennessee Highway Patrol released body camera footage of its 2022 encounter with Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, where state troopers suspected he was involved in human trafficking.
Garcia, 29, is a Salvadorian who illegally entered the United States in 2011 and in 2019 was issued a deportation order. Two previous judges concluded that Abrego-Garcia was likely affiliated with MS-13. He was deported in March and sent to the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador. The Tennessee Highway Patrol pulled over Abrego-Garcia on November 30, 2022.
Body camera video obtained by Fox News Digital shows Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers pulling over Abrego-Garcia, who had eight other individuals in his car, for what was initially a speeding violation. All people in the car are male.
"How many rows have you got in here? Four seats? Four rows of seats?" a state trooper can be heard saying. "Did y'all put an extra one in? Huh? Did yall put another one in no? They come like this I've never seen one with that many seats in it."
"He's hauling these people for money," one state trooper said.
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that there was a conversation in the redacted portion of the video where state troopers discussed calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The troopers called ICE, which didn't come to pick up Abrego-Garcia.
The source added that when state troopers entered Abrego-Garcia's name into the National Crime Information Center, a warning appeared that showed he was suspected of being a gang member or terrorist.
In the video, a trooper said Abrego-Garcia was in possession of $1,400 in cash, saying it was probably his payment. A trooper also noted that Abrego-Garcia had an invalid Maryland driver's license.
State troopers who pulled over Abrego-Garcia said they suspected he was involved in human trafficking, according to body camera video. A state trooper can be heard saying "This is a good stop."
During the traffic stop, Abrego-Garcia was heard changing his story several times. Abrego-Garcia first said he was headed back to his residence in Maryland, then said he was going to a different town for work. He said the group of individuals were initially driving from St. Louis, Missouri.
Court records filed in Prince George's County, Maryland, reveal that Abrego-Garcia has a history of being a "violent" wife beater.
In a 2021 court filing, Jennifer Vasquez, Abrego-Garcia's wife, wrote: "At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me."
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis previously ordered the U.S. government to "facilitate" Abrego-Garcia's return to the United States.
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