Kilmar Abrego Garcia: “must be allowed…”: Trump’s tattoo Kilmar Abrego Garcia shares MS-13 gang link Sparks debate
The image is allegedly “proves” that Abrego Garcia is a member of the violent MS-13 gang. But the photo is now under censorship, with critics including technologists and political opponents showing it is manipulated digitally.
Trump shares tattoo theory
President Trump cited tattoo theory as proof of gang membership, and he pushed for the deportation of undocumented immigrants, especially Venezuelans. But critics slammed his theory as flawed and misleading. Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported, but his legal team believes it is illegal.
Please read also: Trump claims “My job is my job”
Trump’s post, which has a black and white photo of a man’s knuckle, has the letter “MS-13” above four small symbols, and has a caption attacking the Democratic Party, allegedly defending “a kind and innocent man,” Trump insists as a violent gang member.
Donald Trump recently focused on the deportation of 29-year-old Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador on March 15, although some immigration court orders could have prevented him from dismissing. Trump shared an image showing the tattooed knuckles – belonging to Abrego Garcia – and said: “This is the hand of a person who Democrats think should be allowed to return to the United States because they say he is “a kind and innocent person.” They claim he is not part of MS-13, even if he has MS-13 engraved on his knuckles.
The image raises the charges of the digital doctor. Several users on social media platforms pointed out the differences in lighting and layout of tattoos. “‘MS-13’ looks like it was entered on a photo,” one user wrote, while others pointed out the pixelated appearance and alignment of the letters as evidence of tampering.
Please read also: “Fixed it for you”: White House’s correction of NYT’s title being deported incorrectly, netizens called it “disgusting”
Former Minnesota Senator Linda Higgins answered on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Hey, old man, @realdonaldtrump, someone taught you about Photoshop. This is a great example of changing photos, in which case your illegal behavior looks good.”
Although Trump insists that the image confirms Abrego Garcia’s gang membership, court documents filed by U.S. government lawyers never mention tattoos as part of his case.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released documents this week claiming Abrego Garcia was the gang rank “chequeo” and the street name “chele”, but the documents did not include any photographic or physical evidence to establish gang members.
Several social media detectives pointed to older images of Abrego Garcia, including videos posted by his wife on Tiktok that showed tattoos on his knuckles instead of the text “MS-13”.
Please read also: Are we going to the United States to recession? All your key questions have been answered
Who is Abrego Garcia?
Abrego Garcia came to the United States at the age of 16 in 2011 and escaped the threat of 18 Barrio gang members who have been blackmailing his family’s snack food business in El Salvador. His family feared he might be forced to engage in gang activities. Upon arriving in Maryland, he began working in construction and eventually became the main breadwinner for a family of five, including two children with autism.
In 2019, he was arrested at the home of an anti-edition task force based on a claim that a confidential informant alleged that he had a connection with MS-13. However, an immigration judge later determined that deportation would endanger his life and granted him the right to stay in the United States with a work permit.
Please read also: ‘Looking like a fool…begging’: Trump mocked Senator Chris van Hollen for meeting a man, wrongly deported to El Salvador
This protection suddenly ended in March, when he was detained three days later with his son and was deported from El Salvador – despite existing court orders allowing him to stay in the country.
