The White House confirmed Friday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant and MS-13 gang member recently deported to El Salvador, will not be returning to the United States.
The statement comes in response to a New York Times article and efforts by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who traveled to El Salvador earlier this week in an attempt to meet with Abrego Garcia and advocate for his return.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt directly addressed the controversy during a briefing, criticizing what she described as inaccurate media coverage and misleading political narratives.
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“The woman beater, MS-13 gang member, and Salvadoran illegal alien will never be a Maryland dad,” Leavitt said, referencing efforts to portray Abrego Garcia as a sympathetic figure.
Leavitt was joined at the briefing by Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman who was raped and murdered by a different Salvadoran illegal immigrant.
Morin criticized major media outlets for failing to cover her daughter’s story and urged journalists to report honestly on the violence connected to illegal immigration. “Please tell the truth,” she said, “about how violent it really is.”
This is FULL gut-wrenching speech Angel Mom Patty Morin just gave to the press.
The entire media is obsessed with the fate of a foreign criminal gang member who broke into this country and then tried lying in order to stay here.
Meanwhile, they have never cared about about… pic.twitter.com/fEphHPAwJy
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 16, 2025
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported by the Trump administration earlier this year following his designation as a member of a foreign terrorist organization under President Trump’s directive that categorized MS-13 as such.
Despite this designation, Senator Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador this week to meet with Abrego Garcia, describing him as a “Maryland man” and “father of three” who was “wrongfully deported.”
The White House disputed that description, citing Abrego Garcia’s gang affiliation, history of illegal immigration, and domestic violence record.
According to Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Abrego Garcia’s previous deportation order was blocked in 2019 by a judge who cited safety concerns.
However, after being designated a terrorist under federal guidelines, Abrego Garcia became “no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States,” Miller said.
JUST IN: President Trump has multiple members of his admin take turns ripping CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after she asked why an alleged MS-13 member was deported to El Salvador.
Lmao.
Pam Bondi, Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, as well as Nayib Bukele all ripped the media after Collins… pic.twitter.com/R7Y2ZOSt37
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 14, 2025
Abrego Garcia’s criminal history includes multiple associations with MS-13 gang members.
Court documents also show that his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, filed protective orders against him in both 2020 and 2021.
The 2021 complaint stated that Abrego Garcia “punched and scratched” Vasquez and “ripped off her shirt, grabbed, and bruised” her.
Despite these incidents, Vasquez has raised over $230,000 through online fundraising while publicly campaigning for his return.
Van Hollen’s meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador took place on Thursday, following an unsuccessful attempt a day earlier to visit him at CECOT, the country’s maximum-security prison.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador publicly criticized Van Hollen’s visit, posting a photo of the senator meeting with the deported gang member and remarking sarcastically that Van Hollen was enjoying margaritas “in the tropical paradise of El Salvador.”
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹 pic.twitter.com/r6VWc6Fjtn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025
The New York Times published a story headlined, “Senator Meets With Wrongly Deported Maryland Man in El Salvador,” which did not mention Abrego Garcia’s gang ties, nationality, or history of domestic abuse.
On Friday, the White House responded with a direct correction to the outlet’s framing, declaring, “He’s NOT coming back,” and releasing its own revised headline: “Senator Meets With Deported MS-13 Illegal Alien Who’s Never Coming Back.”
Fixed it for you, @NYTimes.
Oh, and by the way, @ChrisVanHollen — he’s NOT coming back. pic.twitter.com/VoAphh2ZPY
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 18, 2025
The Trump administration continues to defend its handling of Abrego Garcia’s removal and has pointed to the case as part of a broader effort to enforce immigration law and remove individuals with known gang affiliations and violent histories.
The administration’s stance remains that Abrego Garcia, based on his designation as a foreign terrorist and illegal status, will not be permitted to reenter the United States.
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