Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem repeatedly refused to answer on Wednesday whether a photo of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, which was used by President Donald Trump to claim Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, was doctored.
Noem and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) got into a heated exchange about the picture during her testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee.
“Madam Secretary, I have a 7-year-old, a 6-year-old, and 3-year-old,” he said. “I have a bulls*** detector. I’m just asking you, is this doctored or not doctored?”
Noem tried to explain the protocols of deportation but was interrupted by Swalwell, who repeatedly asked, “Can you just answer the question?”
Noem replied, “I don’t have any knowledge as to that photo you are pointing to.”
Swalwell asked a member of his staff to bring the photo, which had been blown up to poster size, to Noem, who refused to look at it.
“Are you saying Abrego Garcia is not a wife-beater, that he’s not a criminal, that he’s not a human trafficker, he’s not a member of MS-13?” Noem asked.
“It is so telling that you will not look at the photo. Was it doctored or not? Can you look to the right?” Swalwell later said.
“We will not be bringing him back,” Noem responded.
“Can you look to the right at the photo in front of you?” Swalwell asked.
Noem said she had seen the photo because “you held it behind your head.”
Swalwell again asked, “The letters MS and the numbers 13, are those doctored or not?”
Noem responded, “Is this how you want to spend your testimony today, talking about whether a photo was doctored or not?”
The photo in question is of Abrego Garcia’s left hand. Trump has alleged that Abrego Garcia “had ‘MS-13’ tattooed onto his knuckles.”
The image shows the characters “M,” “S,” “1,” and “3” digitally added above Abrego Garcia’s existing tattoos — a leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull — along with labels describing each symbol beneath.
Many people recognized the labels as digitally added and alleged they were designed to appear as part of Abrego Garcia’s actual tattoos. They accused the Trump administration of trying to mislead the public.
TRUMP INTERVIEW CITED AS EVIDENCE BY ABREGO GARCIA LAWYERS SEEKING MIGRANT’S RETURN TO US
Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally in 2011. He was granted a form of legal protection from deportation to El Salvador in 2019 due to threats from Barrio 18, a rival gang to MS-13. In March, the Trump administration admitted Abrego Garcia had been mistakenly included in a group of migrants deported to the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. He has since been moved to a lower-security facility.
The Trump administration has stood firm and continues to claim Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, which the U.S. designated as a terrorist organization. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys vehemently deny the allegations and have fought to bring him back to the U.S.