President Donald Trump slammed the Democrats’ embrace of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Sunday, saying they are “falsely” making him into a “very sweet and innocent person” while there is strong evidence from two courts that he is a member of the violent MS-13 gang.
In a Truth Social post, Trump went after “Radical Lunatic” Democrats and the “Fake News” media for their distortion of Abrego Garcia’s background, which he called a “total, blatant, and dangerous LIE.”
“Radical Lunatic Democrats and their Comrades in the Fake News Media are falsely making Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia out to be a very sweet and innocent person, which is a total, blatant, and dangerous LIE. Garcia has been found by two separate Courts to be a member of the violent, killer gang MS-13, was in our Country illegally, and is under a Deportation Order. It is despicable and unAmerican for Liberals and the Mainstream Media to hate our Country so much, and be obsessed with protecting criminals, instead of working to keep our Border, streets, and families safe,” the president said.
Trump added that “Those lying to the American People on behalf of violent criminals have to be held responsible by the Agencies and the Courts.”
Trump’s latest comments on the deportation dispute follow a visit to El Salvador by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) that saw him meet with Abrego Garcia at a restaurant. The meeting was blasted by the White House and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Van Hollen spoke about his visit on CNN’s State of the Union on Easter Sunday, largely refusing to say whether Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13 or not. He instead tried to focus on Abrego Garcia’s due process rights.
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The Democratic senator also revealed that his trip was entirely funded with taxpayer dollars.
According to court filings, Abrego Garcia still has a valid deportation order and did not have legal permission to remain in the United States. In 2019, an informant also identified him as an active MS-13 gang member, information that a judge ruled was “proven and reliable.” Trump has recently shared materials allegedly proving Abrego Garcia’s membership in the gang, including a picture of tattoos on the immigrant’s knuckles.