Latest news with #MS-13-related
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Salvadoran Prison Officials Admitted to Abrego Garcia 'Your Tattoos Are Fine' Despite Trump Insisting Otherwise: Lawyers
Salvadoran prison officials reportedly told wrongfully detained Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia that his tattoos were not gang-related, a direct contradiction of President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he bore MS-13 symbols and posed a violent threat, according to attorneys. Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison by the Trump administration in March despite a standing court order prohibiting it, has accused both U.S. and Salvadoran authorities of subjecting him to abuse, deception and fabricated accusations of gang affiliation. The deportation, which the U.S. Supreme Court later acknowledged as illegal, thrust Abrego Garcia into a prison notorious for violence and secrecy, Politico reported. Upon his arrival, he alleged that guards shaved his head, beat him with batons and threw him into an overcrowded cell with 20 other detainees under constant lights and limited access to bathrooms or bedding. Abrego Garcia reportedly lost 31 pounds in two weeks and was not allowed to contact his family or a lawyer until Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited him on April 17. Despite Trump's insistence, on television and in court filings, that Abrego had MS-13-related tattoos, Salvadoran prison officials reportedly told him, "Your tattoos are fine." These statements, documented in a 40-page amended complaint filed this week, come from CECOT authorities who routinely deal with gang members and are trained to identify such markings. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the Justice Department failed to provide credible evidence linking Abrego to any gang. Following growing legal pressure, Abrego was eventually released from Salvadoran custody and flown back to the U.S. to face separate human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He remains detained but has opted to stay incarcerated until at least mid-July, citing fears that the Trump administration might deport him again despite ongoing legal proceedings. Originally published on Latin Times
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Hyattsville Police Department details 2019 encounter with Kilmar Abrego Garcia
HYATTSVILLE, Md. (DC News Now) — In a news release published Monday, the City of Hyattsville Police Department (HPD) said that 'at no time' did its officers identify Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia as a member of any gang. HPD said that on March 28, 2019, a detective saw four men standing outside of a store in the 3300 block of East-West Highway. That detective saw them seem to hide something under a car, so he approached them. 'During the encounter, the detective recognized one of the men as a known member of MS-13. This individual was not Abrego Garcia,' HPD said. The detective searched the men and found 28 grams of suspected marijuana on Abrego Garcia. HPD seized the suspected marijuana but did not file any criminal charges. RELATED: Investigators never arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Prince George's County police clarify HPD said that during an MS-13-related homicide investigation in Prince George's County, its detective notified the Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) about the four men who were detained and told PGPD that one of those men was a known MS-13 member. PGPD took those four men, including Abrego Garcia, to one of its stations. PGPD said that it did not arrest Abrego Garcia but that it did have 'reasonable suspicion' that 'some of the men displayed traits associated with MS-13 gang culture.' 'At no time did any member of the HPD identify or file any reports classifying Abrego Garcia as a member of any gang,' HPD's statement read. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
