Fact Check: Photo Trump shared of Abrego Garcia's tattoos real but altered; no evidence they're gang-related
A post from U.S. President Donald Trump showing Kilmar Abrego Garcia's hand tattoos was unedited and proves he was affiliated with the Salvadoran gang MS-13.
Rating:
What's True:
Although the original image held by Trump in the photo was genuine, it had been edited to insert the text "MS-13" above the symbols tattooed on Abrego Garcia's hand.
What's False:
There is no clear evidence proving a link between Abrego Garcia's hand tattoos and MS-13.
On April 18, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump posted a photo on X and TruthSocial supposedly showing proof that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who immigrated to the U.S. illegally from El Salvador in 2012 then was detained and deported by the Trump administration in March 2025, was a member of the MS-13 gang.
In the photo, Trump can be seen holding a piece of paper featuring a separate picture purportedly showing the tattoos across Abrego Garcia's hand.
(X user @realDonaldTrump)
Other users shared a cropped version of the photograph showing a close-up of the tattoos:
(X user @WesternDecline_)
Snopes readers searched the site and wrote to us asking if the photograph was real and if it proved Abrego Garcia was affiliated with MS-13. While publicly available evidence confirmed the image shared by Trump was authentic in origin, it also confirmed that the image had been altered to insert the text "MS-13" above the actual tattoos — in effect annotating them. There was no clear evidence the symbols on Abrego Garcia's fingers proved an affiliation with MS-13.
Abrego Garcia was mistakenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 12, 2025. According to CASA, an immigration advocacy organization involved in Abrego Garcia's legal defense, he had no criminal convictions in either the U.S. or El Salvador. In 2019, a judge ordered that he not be returned to El Salvador on the grounds that he would face persecution. Three days after his detainment in 2025, however, the government sent Abrego Garcia to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center prison, or CECOT, without a hearing, according to The New York Times.
The Trump administration itself called his detention and removal an "administrative error."
Even after acknowledging it had made a mistake, however, the administration repeatedly claimed that it ordered Abrego Garcia be sent to the Salvadoran mega-prison because he was a member of MS-13. (Snopes previously investigated the little evidence the administration has used to justify Abrego Garcia's gang affiliation and concluded there was not sufficient evidence to prove he was in the gang.) Trump shared the photograph as supposed proof of such a connection, and the post's caption claimed Abrego Garcia had "MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles."
Other photos of Abrego Garcia provided confirmation that he has four knuckle tattoos, as shown in the picture held by Trump. Trump's picture had been edited to add the text "MS-13" above the tattoos, but there was no actual evidence demonstrating a link between the tattoos and the El Salvadoran gang.
The photo held by Trump shows four knuckle tattoos — a marijuana leaf, a smiley face with X's for eyes, a crucifix and a skull. We confirmed the existence of these tattoos on Abrego Garcia's hand by cross-checking with other images of him. Two separate photos in USA Today stories (one came from El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's social media and the other was credited to CASA) featured the knuckle tattoos, although only the skull and cross were visible in one of them.
However, Trump's "proof" also contained "MS13" spelled across the knuckles and a description of the four tattoos underneath — "marijuana, smile, cross, skull." Those elements were not present in the other photos in the USA Today articles, indicating they were added to Trump's photo after the fact. Therefore, Abrego Garcia did not have the gang's name literally "tattooed onto his knuckles."
Snopes reached out to several experts in gang tattoos to learn more about the symbolism in MS-13 tattoos and whether Abrego Garcia's tattoos matched those symbols. We also reached out to ICE for comment. We had not heard back from any of them at the time of publishing.
Looking at other photos of MS-13 gang tattoos, however, revealed that members of the gang have its name literally tattooed on their bodies in some form, generally an "MS," a "13" or both. A source from ICE reportedly told the New York Post that if Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, getting such a tattoo would have been a requirement. However, Snopes was unable to independently verify this claim.
If MS-13 members are required to have a rather blatant "MS" or "13" tattoo and if Abrego Garcia was actually involved with the gang, the Trump administration would presumably be able to share a photo of such a tattoo. The fact that the four knuckle tattoos, none of which were "MS13," were the supposed proof undermined the administration's claim of his affiliation with the gang.
The ICE source who reportedly spoke to the New York Post also said he had "never heard of those resemblances being made" when asked if Abrego Garcia's knuckle tattoos signified membership in MS-13.
Regardless of whether Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 or not, the U.S. Constitution grants him the right to due process and the Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration on April 10 to "facilitate" his return. As of this writing, the administration had not complied with the ruling.
"A Man Was Sent to El Salvador Due to 'administrative Error' despite Protected Legal Status, Filings Show." NBC News, 1 Apr. 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-was-sent-el-salvador-due-administrative-error-protected-legal-stat-rcna199010.
CASA Demands Justice For Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia – We Are Casa. https://wearecasa.org/casa-demands-justice-for-kilmar-armando-abrego-garcia/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Clarke, David Culver, Abel Alvarado, Evelio Contreras, Rachel. "Tattoos Transform from Signs of Gang Allegiance to Art." CNN, 14 Apr. 2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/14/americas/el-salvador-cecot-gang-tattoo-intel/index.html.
Deng, Grace. "Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Wife Confirms She Filed Protective Order, Says They Worked out Problems with Counseling." Snopes, 18 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/abrego-garcia-restraining-order/.
---. "Vance Was Wrong: Maryland Father Accidentally Deported to El Salvador Isn't 'Convicted MS-13 Gang Member.'" Snopes, 4 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/deported-maryland-father-vance/.
"Due Process." LII / Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/due_process. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
"El Salvador President Bukele Says He Won't Be Releasing a Maryland Man Back to the US." AP News, 14 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-white-house-el-salvador-kilmar-abrego-garcia-ad338d6b4558a6aba80e8290fd3eece9.
Feuer, Alan, and Karoun Demirjian. "What to Know About the Deportation of Abrego Garcia to El Salvador." The New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/article/abrego-garcia-trump-deportations-el-salvador.html.
Garrett, Luke. "House Democrats Land in El Salvador, Demand Abrego Garcia's Return." NPR, 21 Apr. 2025. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/04/21/g-s1-61500/house-democrats-land-in-el-salvador-demand-abrego-garcias-return.
"Inside the Trump Administration's Fight to Imprison a Wrongfully Deported Immigrant." The Independent, 14 Apr. 2025, https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/kilmar-abrego-garcia-trump-supreme-court-b2729085.html.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia and MS-13: What Is Alleged and What We Know. 19 Apr. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1k4072e3nno.
"Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Wrongful Deportation Spotlights Trump Immigration Policies." USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2025/04/15/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-trump-immigration-photos/83104318007/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
News, A. B. C. "Wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia Says Seeing Photo of Him Alive Is 'Very Overwhelming.'" ABC News, https://abcnews.go.com/US/wife-kilmar-abrego-garcia-photo-alive-overwhelming/story?id=120941345. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Penzenstadler, Eduardo Cuevas, Michael Collins and Nick. "Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Block Order to Return Deported Maryland Father." USA TODAY, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/07/kilmar-abrego-garcia-order-trump-el-salvador/82956985007/. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Taer, Jennie, and Emily Crane. Trump Says Deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Tattoos Show That He's MS-13 as Social Media Is Flooded with Theories. 18 Apr. 2025, https://nypost.com/2025/04/18/us-news/social-media-flooded-with-theories-about-kilmar-abrego-garcias-ms-13-tattoos/.
"Trump Appears to Hold up a Altered Image of Wrongfully Deported Man's Hand." The Independent, 19 Apr. 2025, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-kilmar-abrego-garcia-hand-b2735920.html.
"US Still Won't Say Whether It Will Return Mistakenly Deported Man, despite Supreme Court Decision." AP News, 12 Apr. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/abrego-garcia-maryland-father-deported-el-salvador-6de340ac95f2abb5fd3688fc1679fd66.
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(Bloomberg) — Republican Representative Zach Nunn is making an Iowa State Fair video about President Donald Trump's tax law, shot on a John Deere tractor under the blazing August sun. In it, Nunn, one of the nation's most vulnerable incumbents, talks to constituent Sarah Curry about how the expanded child tax credit will help with the cost of one child's speech therapy. Nunn is also planning to use the state fair as the backdrop for more videos selling the bill's provisions temporarily cutting taxes on tips and overtime. Economic issues — namely, Trump's tax package and his tariff war with countries that buy much of Iowa's agricultural products — will be front and center in Nunn's race, and he's eager to get a jumpstart defining the issues. So, too, are Democrats, who see Iowa's two swing districts as must-wins in their push to take back the House majority. Democrat Jennifer Konfrst, who is working to unseat Nunn, said she approaches Iowans at the fair asking them what keeps them up at night and the answer is usually 'costs.' Read more here. Tariffs' impact on Walmart, other retailers' earnings about to come into focus Several major retailers will report earnings this week, which may give a first glimpse into how President Trump's tariffs have affected their bottom lines. The list includes Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), Lowe's Companies (LOW) TJ Maxx parent TJX Companies (TJX) and Ross Stores (ROST). The Trump administration has urged retailers not to raise prices for consumers to offset the tariffs' impact, with a particular focus on Walmart, The Street reminds us: Read more here. Several major retailers will report earnings this week, which may give a first glimpse into how President Trump's tariffs have affected their bottom lines. The list includes Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), Lowe's Companies (LOW) TJ Maxx parent TJX Companies (TJX) and Ross Stores (ROST). The Trump administration has urged retailers not to raise prices for consumers to offset the tariffs' impact, with a particular focus on Walmart, The Street reminds us: Read more here. Trump's trade war not likely to cause recession, Moody's economist says Economist Justin Begley of Moody's Analytics tells USA Today that President Trump's economic policies won't cause a recession or stagflation, but will likely slow growth and push up inflation. The economy isn't in stagflation yet, Begley said, "but it's edging that way," he adds: Read more here. Economist Justin Begley of Moody's Analytics tells USA Today that President Trump's economic policies won't cause a recession or stagflation, but will likely slow growth and push up inflation. The economy isn't in stagflation yet, Begley said, "but it's edging that way," he adds: Read more here. 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(Reuters) -The Trump administration widened the reach of its 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by adding hundreds of derivative products to the list of goods subject to the levies. In a Federal Register notice late on Friday, the Commerce Department said the Bureau of Industry and Security was adding 407 product codes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States that identify the goods to be hit with the additional duties on the steel and aluminum content of those products. The non-steel and non-aluminum content will be subject to the tariff rates President Donald Trump has imposed on the goods originating from specific countries, the notice said. The levies on the goods on the expanded list go into effect on August 18. Read more here. Consumers' inflation expectations rise amid Trump tariffs Inflation expectations rose from July to August, indicating that consumers remain uncertain about President Trump's trade policies. Year-ahead inflation expectations increased to 4.9% from 4.5% last month, according to the University of Michigan's survey of consumers. Long-run inflation expectations also rose to 3.9% in August from 3.4% in July. "Overall, consumers are no longer bracing for the worst-case scenario for the economy feared in April when reciprocal tariffs were announced and then paused," Joanne Hsu, the university's Surveys of Consumers director, wrote. "However, consumers continue to expect both inflation and unemployment to deteriorate in the future." Consumer sentiment also deteriorated month over month, falling for the first time in four months. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 58.6 from 61.7 a month ago. Read more here. Inflation expectations rose from July to August, indicating that consumers remain uncertain about President Trump's trade policies. Year-ahead inflation expectations increased to 4.9% from 4.5% last month, according to the University of Michigan's survey of consumers. Long-run inflation expectations also rose to 3.9% in August from 3.4% in July. "Overall, consumers are no longer bracing for the worst-case scenario for the economy feared in April when reciprocal tariffs were announced and then paused," Joanne Hsu, the university's Surveys of Consumers director, wrote. "However, consumers continue to expect both inflation and unemployment to deteriorate in the future." Consumer sentiment also deteriorated month over month, falling for the first time in four months. The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 58.6 from 61.7 a month ago. Read more here. US import prices rebound in July on higher consumer goods costs US import prices rebounded in July in the latest sign that inflation is set to pick up because of tariffs. Reuters reports: Read more here. US import prices rebounded in July in the latest sign that inflation is set to pick up because of tariffs. Reuters reports: Read more here. Trump says semiconductor tariffs could reach 300% President Trump said Friday he is planning on unveiling tariffs on semiconductor imports over the next two weeks, hinting that those duties could reach as high as 300%. From Bloomberg: Read more here. President Trump said Friday he is planning on unveiling tariffs on semiconductor imports over the next two weeks, hinting that those duties could reach as high as 300%. From Bloomberg: Read more here. Applied Materials' shares sink on weak China demand, tariff risks Shares in Applied Materials (AMAT) sank 14% before the bell on Friday after the chip equipment maker issued weak fourth-quarter forecasts on sluggish China demand, fueling concerns over tariff-related risks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Shares in Applied Materials (AMAT) sank 14% before the bell on Friday after the chip equipment maker issued weak fourth-quarter forecasts on sluggish China demand, fueling concerns over tariff-related risks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
Politico
20 minutes ago
- Politico
Inside Trump world's reaction to the Zelenskyy reset
3. Trump offered to go straight to a trilateral meeting. The senior administration official told POLITICO that when Trump called Putin to offer his presence at a meeting between Zelenskyy and the Russian leader, Putin said, 'You don't have to come. I want to see him one on one.' Trump's team 'started working on that,' the official said. 'Steve Witkoff has the assignment to get it figured [out].' 4. Alaska paved the way for the 'security guarantees' discussion. If there was any concern within the administration about how the Putin meeting in Anchorage went down, Monday all but evaporated it. 'After Alaska, we were excited that Putin was at least talking and there were signs we could negotiate,' a second senior administration official told POLITICO. One of those signs came on the topic of security guarantees: Putin was 'engaging on a conversation about security guarantees instead of, 'Nyet, nyet, nyet,' this second official said. 'If Alaska was not successful and Putin didn't give us a little bit of an opening, we wouldn't have [had] the Europeans at the White House.' Of Putin: 'He'll drive a hard bargain, but that opening is huge.' 5. Those security guarantees could be a sticking point internationally. It remains unclear just how big a commitment the U.S. has on the line here. 'We haven't even started [that discussion] other than a commitment,' the first senior administration official told POLITICO. 'The question is, 'Who participates to what percentage?' But the president did commit that we would be a part of it. No specifics. And then he said he would also help it get organized. And he alone could sell that to Putin. I don't think Putin would pay any attention to the others, and I'm not sure the others would do it without him.' 6. And those same guarantees could be a problem for Trump domestically. Does the administration have a red line when it comes to committing U.S. troops to keep a peace in Ukraine? 'I don't think there's a red line,' the first senior official told POLITICO. 'So I think it just kind of remains to be seen. [President Trump] would like the Europeans to step up. But I think if the last piece of the puzzle was for a period of time to be a part of a peacekeeping force, I think he would do it.' Meanwhile, as European leaders arrived at the White House, MAGA coalition minder Steve Bannon took to his influential 'War Room' podcast to warn about the U.S. security guarantees in Ukraine. 'I'm just lost how the United States offering an Article 5 commitment for a security guarantee to Ukraine is a win for the United States,' Bannon said on his show Monday morning . 'President Trump has done more than enough to bring the parties together,' Bannon told POLITICO late Monday night. 'Once again, this is a European problem; we have all the leverage here. If we don't fund this, it stops happening. The only way this goes forward — the only way this continues every day — is American money and American arms. The Europeans don't have enough either military hardware and/or financial wherewithal.' Bannon said he hopes Trump 'eventually stops listening to the [Sens.] Lindsey Grahams and Tom Cottons and the Mitch McConnells, and realizes that there can't be any guarantee here from the United States, because that's going to inextricably link us to this conflict.' In a Truth Social post on Monday about the next steps, Trump said 'Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine.' That callout was striking. 'That's the first time JD and Marco have been dragged into a big foreign policy issue together,' the second senior administration official told POLITICO. 'If it's JD and Marco and Witkoff, who gets the credit and who gets the blame if it fails? This could be the first test of 2028.' Like this content? Consider signing up for POLITICO's Playbook newsletter.
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Is America done with clean energy? Why wind, solar power are in peril
Since taking office, the Trump Administration has paused permits on all new wind and solar projects on public land, both onshore and offshore. New wind and solar power installations, and the cheap, clean energy they provide to America, may not survive the Trump administration. Building on public concerns and his own dislike of "ugly," "disgusting" wind turbines and "ridiculous" solar farms, President Donald Trump has issued a blizzard of directives and executive orders limiting new solar and wind projects across the county. In at least one case, the administration yanked back an already-issued permit. Instead, the administration is promoting energy production from oil, natural gas and coal, which the Biden administration had made more expensive through regulations Trump is now dismantling. 'They're basically trying to make it impossible or next to impossible to build wind or solar power in this country while at the same time rolling back regulations on fossil fuels,' said Nick Krakoff, senior attorney with the Boston-based Conservation Law Foundation, a nonprofit environmental organization. Wind and solar power are two of the fastest-growing energy sectors in the United States and produced as much as 17% of the country's electricity last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical agency of the Department of Energy. Since taking office, the Trump administration has paused permits on all new wind and solar projects on public land, onshore and offshore. The vast majority of renewable energy projects – 95% – are on private land, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. But many of those require some type of federal approval and are also being stalled by the new rules. It's this push to end large-scale energy projects on private property as well that some in the energy industry consider especially troubling. 'It's expected that every time you have a major change in administrations, policies on public land might change," said Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association. 'But the willingness of this administration to create political and bureaucratic barriers to private economic activity on private land is something nobody anticipated.' A shift that began Jan. 20 The dozens of new rules, mostly issued by the Department of the Interior, add multiple layers of permit requirements to an already thorough process – requirements that could slow or stymie some projects. 'It looks like they are just trying to find any moment at which the federal government interacts with a project and putting it on this list," said Michelle Solomon, manager of the electricity program at Energy Innovation, Policy and Technology, an energy think tank based in San Francisco. The flood of new regulations began on Jan. 20 when the administration temporarily withdrew all permits for offshore wind projects. On July 7, all subsidies for wind and solar projects were ended, though federal subsidies for coal, oil and natural gas were left in place. On July 15, the Department of the Interior added multiple layers of review for all wind and solar projects on public land, including a requirement that the secretary of the interior sign off on each one. It was not clear whether these requirements will stop new projects from being permitted, but "at the very least it will slow decisions down – and a lot of the decisions are not controversial, they're routine,' Krakoff said. On July 29, the department required wind or solar projects that have been approved but are being sued by opponents be federally reviewed and possibly canceled. Nearly a third of solar projects and half of wind projects that completed Environmental Impact Statements faced lawsuits, according to research by Resources for the Future, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit research institute. Targeting the renewable energy industry Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said in March that the administration's efforts "are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion." The new rules will ensure that wind and solar projects "receive appropriate oversight when federal resources, permits or consultations are involved," Department of the Interior senior public affairs specialist Elizabeth Pease said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY. The directives are already having an effect. On Aug. 6, the agency announced it was reversing a permit for a 1,000-megawatt wind facility that had been approved in Idaho. 'They're canceling meetings and taking down web pages," Grumet of American Clean Power said, adding that he sees the moves as "an unprecedented effort to weaponize bureaucracy to undermine an American industry." In early August, Nevada's Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo complained to the secretary of the interior in a letter that solar projects deep in the project pipeline have been frozen. 'This is part of a pattern of targeting the renewable energy industry," said the Conservation Law Foundation's Krakoff. "It's pretty unprecedented to target an entire industry and undermine the rule of law." Power demands are at an all-time high and rising These actions could stop cold what has been the biggest contributor to U.S. power supplies at a time when power demands driven by global warming and the needs of artificial intelligence and data centers are pushing power consumption to all-time highs. 'We need to build more power generation now, and that includes renewable energy. The U.S. will need roughly 118 gigawatts (the equivalent of 12 New York Cities) of new power generation in the next four years to prevent price spikes and potential shortages," said Ray Long, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy." Only a limited set of technologies – solar, wind, batteries and some natural gas – can be built at that scale in that time frame." As of last year, 17% of electricity in the United States was created by wind or solar power. Of the new power generation projected to come online this year, 93% was expected to come from solar, wind or battery storage, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Solar power appears to be less impacted by the policy shifts than wind, Solomon said. 'Certainly the administration is seemingly trying to do everything they can to slow progress for wind and solar – but they don't have unilateral control over everything,' she said. 'I think there's a decent chance that there's a lot of projects on private land, at least solar projects, that will not have federal permitting requirements.' China has overtaken the United States on clean energy The shift comes as the rest of the world – especially China – make significant strides in moving to cheaper power from wind and solar. "I don't think the administration fully appreciates that if they were to tie their own hands, we could be retreating in that competition with China," Grumet said. China is installing wind and solar projects faster than any other nation and today has almost half the world's wind farms. In 2023 it built out more wind and solar than the rest of the world combined. In May, its solar power reached 1,000 gigawatts. The United States' current solar capacity is 134 gigawatts. A 1 gigawatt solar facility generates enough power to support about 200,000 households, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In the first quarter of this year, China was able to produce more energy through wind and solar than through coal and gas. As of July, the country made up 74% of all wind and solar projects under construction globally. China's enormous buildout of wind and solar power caused its carbon emissions to fall by 2.7% in the first six months of this year. Some experts believe its greenhouse gas emissions may have peaked. The country's combination of clean energy production along with the success of its electric vehicles has earned it the title of the world's first "electrostate." Fossil fuel-based nations are called "petrostates." None of this bodes well for the future of the United States on the world stage, said Julio Friedmann, an expert on carbon, hydrogen and biofuels at Carbon Direct, a company that provides climate solutions. "In all likelihood, the actions will strengthen China's position as global leader," said Friedmann, who also taught at Columbia University. "At worst, the U.S. may surrender its many advantages."
