Fact Check: Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living legally in the United States before he was wrongfully deported in March.

Fact Check: "Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living legally in the United States before he was wrongfully deported in March."

What We Know

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is indeed a citizen of El Salvador who entered the United States illegally in March 2012. He was allowed to stay in the U.S. under a legal status known as "withholding of removal," which was granted by an immigration judge in October 2019 due to a credible fear of persecution from a gang in El Salvador, specifically Barrio 18 (source-2). Despite this ruling, Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, without a court hearing, which violated the previous judicial decision (source-3).

Analysis

The claim that Abrego Garcia was living legally in the U.S. before his deportation is supported by multiple sources. His legal status was confirmed by the immigration judge's ruling, which allowed him to remain in the country due to the threat he faced in El Salvador (source-2). The deportation itself has been characterized as wrongful, as it disregarded this judicial ruling and occurred without a proper hearing (source-5).

The reliability of the sources is generally high. Major news outlets such as The New York Times, PBS, and NBC News have reported on the case, providing detailed accounts of the legal proceedings and the implications of his deportation (source-2, source-4, source-6).

However, it is important to note that the Trump administration's narrative around Abrego Garcia has included allegations of gang affiliation and human trafficking, which have been contested and lack substantial evidence (source-2). This context suggests a potential bias in the framing of his case by certain government officials.

Conclusion

The claim that "Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living legally in the United States before he was wrongfully deported in March" is True. He was indeed a legal resident under a judicial ruling and was wrongfully deported, violating that ruling. The evidence from credible sources supports this conclusion, and the circumstances surrounding his deportation highlight significant legal and procedural errors.

Sources

1. What to Know About Abrego Garcia's Deportation and ...
2. Abrego Garcia to remain detained for now on migrant ...
3. Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling ...
4. Kilmar Abrego Garcia brought back to US, appears in court on ...
5. Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been returned to the U.S. to face ...