Below is my column at Fox.com on the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and what lies ahead in the case. Regardless of the outcome of the criminal prosecution, one thing seems virtually certain: Abrego Garcia will eventually go home . . . to El Salvador.
Here is the column:
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is coming back to the United States, but he is hardly thrilled by the prospect. He is returning not for a removal hearing, but for a trial that could result in a lengthy prison sentence, followed by immediate removal back to El Salvador. After the issuance of the federal grand jury, the United States is now the last place on Earth that Abrego Garcia wants to visit.
Abrego Garcia has been fighting to return after he was mistakenly removed to El Salvador. That immediately drew irate orders from a federal judge, and many of us argued that the Administration should have simply brought him back for what seemed an easy case for removal after a hearing.
Instead, the case dragged on for months after the Trump Administration challenged the court orders as judicial overreach and unconstitutional. The indictment issued by a federal grand jury allows the Administration to end the controversy on its terms. Rather than yielding to the challenged orders, it can bring Abrego Garcia back to stand trial.
It is an example of the old adage “one day on the cover of Time, next day doing time.” Sometimes notoriety can be your undoing.
If Abrego Garcia had been removed, little attention would likely have been drawn to his prior conduct. Indeed, as all the Democratic politicians, such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), arrived in El Salvador with an army of reporters, one has to wonder if Abrego Garcia was having second thoughts about his challenge.
While news organizations like NPR described Abrego Garcia as a family man “living quietly” in Maryland, the facts proved far more damning. He was repeatedly accused of beating his wife. The court record also included allegations of his involvement in a notorious gang:
“Per the Prince George’s County Police Gang Unit, ABREGO-Garcia was validated as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) Gang. Subject was identified as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha MS-13, “Chequeo” from the Western Clique a transnational criminal street gang. This information was provided by tested source who has provided truthful accurate information in the past. See Prince Georges County Police Department (Gang Sheet).”
MS-13 is designated as a terrorist organization.
Abrego Garcia was also suspected of human trafficking. Indeed, the description of the stop leaves one astonished that he was allowed to drive away. According to DHS:
“On Dec. 1, 2022, Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol for speeding. Upon approach to the vehicle, the encountering officer noted eight other individuals in the vehicle. There was no luggage in the vehicle, leading the encountering officer to suspect this was a human trafficking incident. Additionally, all the passengers gave the same home address as the subject’s home address. During the interview, Abrego Garcia pretended to speak less English than he was capable of and attempted to put the encountering officer off-track by responding to questions with questions. When asked what relationship he had with the registered owner of the vehicle, Abrego Garcia replied that the owner of the vehicle is his boss, and that he worked in construction…
The encountering officer decided not to cite the subject for driving infractions but gave him a warning citation for driving with an expired driver’s license. Abrego Garcia’s driver’s license was a MD “Limited Term Temporary” license. The encountering officer gathered names of other occupants in the vehicle but could not read their handwriting. The officer did not pursue further information due to no citation being issued.”
The videotape mystified many with how Abrego Garcia was allowed to go along his way. Here was an undocumented immigrant stopped with an expired license in a car with eight others traveling from Texas to Maryland. He gave a false statement, and the officer suspected human trafficking but let him go.
It is alleged that the person whom Abrego Garcia described as his “boss” at a construction job was Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, an illegal migrant previously convicted of human smuggling. The black 2001 Chevrolet Suburban belonged to Hernandez Reyez.
Now, the indictment details a broader array of evidence. The grand jury found evidence of extensive human trafficking violations over 9 years. The indictment speaks of cooperating witnesses prepared to implicate Abrego Garcia in an international smuggling operation involving guns, narcotics, and humans that included over a 100 such transports.
“Over the course of the conspiracy the coconspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States and many of whom were MS 13 members and associates The co conspirators also worked with transnational criminal organizations in Mexico to transport undocumented aliens through Mexico and into the United States.”
Ironically, in light of this indictment, any criminal defense attorney worth his salt would have opposed deportation to the United States from El Salvador. Instead, Abrego Garcia will face a much longer possible criminal sentence. He will eventually then be deported to El Salvador regardless of the outcome of the criminal prosecution. Abrego Garcia never had a compelling basis for remaining in the United States. He gamed the system for years, a system that seems utterly incapable of dealing with this national emergency.
He will get due process, but make no mistake about it. Abrego Garcia is coming back, but he is not coming home.
The Biden/Mayorkas “open borders” insurgency worked to bring exactly these “problems” (and divisions) upon us, just so useful idiots (extreme-leftist democrats), could foam at the mouth and assist with the internal destruction of our country. The resulting LAWFARE (and divisions) among citizen-Americans were planned, and are doing the requite damage….Waste of money, but the Trump administration has to play their game to the end.
As if Biden’s Brownshirts were not enough to secure the hollow President unto the throne, ANTIFA would be joined by criminal gangs with well established means of profiting from the manufactured sympathy for The Other.
In the elitist views of the DNC/MSM for > 30 years, the majority of Americans were written off as dumb, uneducated, deplorables, garbage, a vast right wing conspiracy, toxic masculinity, KKK loving white supremacists, Nazis, bigoted, misogynistic, racist and “bitter clingers”. Obama never apologized for his:
“And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations”
– Barry O, 2008
Now California’s Governor Newsom is threatening withholding federal taxes, per POLITICO.
That should be fun to watch.
In Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Churches, we pray at Mass at the very start of service, the Confiteor where we confess our sins and firmly resolve to reform our ways. The aforementioned is so foreign to the Left that they would rather self-destruct, as poll after poll show, than admit any wrong doing or attempt to reform their hearts. They are beholden only onto themselves. They betray everyone just like Dante’s Inferno describes.
skimming the MSM headlines no longer evokes concerns but rather laughter. To say they are blind and lack soul-searching capabilities, is to understate the problem. Shake the dust off of our feet and keep walking. Let the dead bury the dead.
Ninth Circle of Hell: Treachery
The ninth circle, the deepest, is where Satan resides. As with the last two circles, this one is further divided, into four rounds. The first is Caina, named after the biblical Cain, who murdered his brother. This round is for traitors to family. The second, Antenora—from Antenor of Troy, who betrayed the Greeks—is reserved for political and national traitors.
The third is Ptolomaea for Ptolemy, son of Abubus, who is known for inviting Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to dinner and then murdering them. This round is for hosts who betray their guests; they are punished more harshly because of the belief that having guests means entering into a voluntary relationship, and betraying a relationship willingly entered is more despicable than betraying a relationship born into. The fourth round is Judecca, after Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus Christ. This round is reserved for traitors to their lords, benefactors, or masters. As in the previous circle, the subdivisions each have their own demons and punishments.
Center of Hell
After making their way through all nine circles of hell, Dante and Virgil reach the center of hell. Here they meet Satan, who is described as a three-headed beast. Each mouth is busy eating a specific person: The left mouth is eating Brutus, the right is eating Cassius, and the center mouth is eating Judas Iscariot. Brutus and Cassius betrayed and caused the murder of Julius Caesar, while Judas did the same to Christ. These are the ultimate sinners, in Dante’s opinion, as they consciously committed acts of treachery against their lords, who were appointed by God.
https://www.thoughtco.com/dantes-9-circles-of-hell-741539
*. Oh, Estovir, what terrible images. What terrible things people do. No one takes Dante literally.
OOPS! Not the kind of return to America that Van Holland had expected for his fellow “Maryland Man.” One might appreciate Van Holland’s feigned regard for the Constitution, but he forever remains a fool for his theatrics.
Its odd that a grand jury was investigating Garcia when it was certain that he wasn’t going to come back. So now they brought him back after saying they never would because of these alleged crimes? None of this passes the smell test.
Even Turley should be skeptical but we all know he’s obligated to push the fox news narrative.
JT has been failing the smell test for a long, long time. Such a shame. 15 years ago he had good points. Not anymore. He obfuscates facts, makes sweeping accusations as if his accusations are facts. Distorts rule of law. How is he still teaching Law?
Opinion only
Try again
Your nose must be worn out. Why do you come back for more?
Turley’s an ivory tower hack. Put him in a courtroom in a criminal case as the lead litigator and he’d get his head handed to him.
To watch you libs flip out even more.
Enjoy the ride.
If any prog has something to do with this – that is why it reeks of putrid leftist ideology.
George:
(1) Just a comment ago, you accused the Trump administration of “defying” court orders from both SCOTUS and the lower court. Was the Trump administration charged with contempt for such defiance?
“None of this passes the smell test,” does it, George?
(2) Here is a copy of the Indictment. Perhaps you would want to review it prior to your next comment. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104621/gov.uscourts.tnmd.104621.3.0.pdf
(3) Thanking you in advance for your consideration of these.
It was never “certain that he wasn’t going to come back” .. . although I can understand why George thought that way.
*hope this helps
Lin,
“ Trump administration charged with contempt for such defiance?”
They were in the process of being held in contempt because they were indeed defying and misleading the court.
The Supreme Court was clear Garcia’s return must be facilitated and Trump officials kept insisting they couldn’t because “it’s out of their hands.”
The indictment is very weak and the alleged eyewitnesses highly suspect. Knowing the Trump administration’s penchant for lying we can expect a convoluted argument that is very likely to be unsuccessful.
Lawyer georgie, now JUST HOW LONG does this “process” of charging with contempt take, since the alleged “defying” even pre-dates the SCOTUS case? You do have that tone of authority, geez, please lecture your students here.
This, from a one-party-line goer, the group of people whose strategy is to mislead, convolute, lie, and especially to “defy,” so as to always remain in sole power. They game it even nastier when they can’t have it their way: It is imperative that the extreme-left remains UNsuccessful! fight, Fight, FIGHT!
Prolly not weak. The docs were unsealed. Why were they sealed? There’s a confession in there. Mayorkas cut deals for HS informants. A guess because García was too insistent not knowing Kristi noem didn’t cut the deal and all bets off.
Confessions based on immunity are highly suspect. The evidence against Garcia is still weak. We don’t know if the informants are credible.
Extraditing a criminal is a known way to get someone back to your country. Usually the criminal would rather stay waay, however.
Loving your Maryland Man George. Wife beater. Human smuggler. Typical Democrat voter
You speak as though being a wife beater and a human smuggler are bad things. These are things that all Democrats are proud of. It’s getting caught that they are not proud of.
“… officer suspected human trafficking but let him go. …”
The Officer was outnumbered 9-to-1, and the question of ‘when-or-if’ there was Manpower for Backup available was not completely determinable by the Officer.
The Officer did the right thing in releasing the Vehicle and Occupants for his own safety and to de-escalate the situation.
What the Officer could have done thereafter the stop, was issue an ABP further down the Highway wherein LEO could have been better prepared to stop the Vehicle again. Here too again the question of available Manpower would dictate the response.
It was not just one officer.
He called for backup and there were multiple officers on the scene.
The police report does not say anything about any threatening behavior from the occupants of the vehicle.
According to the police report, the occupants were fully cooperative, and non-threatening. They identified themselves, which as passengers, they were not required to do.
Obviously, the officers were sufficiently satisfied with the cooperative behavior of all concerned. Because of this cooperation, they simply issued a warning.
They may have suspected trafficking, but obviously they felt they had no probable cause to take the investigation further.
It goes without saying that “cooperative behavior” of the Occupants would be what One would do (Keep Clam, Let it Pass, We’ll be Ok),
so not to further raise suspicious attention. Don’t give further reason to ‘search the vehicle’ etc.
ICE was called, but never responded. Manpower Issue or Biden dictum.
Remember that old beatles tune “let it be”. That is the prog concept in 3 words when it comes to illegals.
and let’s not forget sanctuary policies from on high that could impede this cop’s career if he “triggered some prog”.
Texans aren’t the only state you don’t mess with.
‘DON’T MESS WITH TENNESSEE’
“Tennessee—America at Its Best.”
There was a High Probability that Abrego Garcia and his vehicle’s Occupants had Weapons (Guns) or Drugs, particularly if Garcia’s travel originated in Texas (probably Houston). Had the Officer command the exodus of all 9 from the vehicle to the side of the road, so that the vehicle could be searched with no Backup. It is a High Probability that the 9 would have overpowered the Officer. Keep in mind that all the Occupants of the vehicle were under stress by their legal status and possible possession holdings. The time of Day/Night also dictated the situation of the Officers retreat.
To search a vehicle, an officer must have permission from the driver.
In the absence of permission, the officer requires a warrant.
The officers could have held the vehicle and obtained a warrant if they believed they had probable cause. Warrants are easily obtainable by phone. There is always a judge on call 24/7 to issue such warrants. The officers would have to explain their probable cause to the judge.
Obviously they felt they did not have probable cause.
Forgot to say that it was not just one officer
He called for backup and multiple officers were present.
Bodycam video shoes multiple officers discussing the stop at the scene.
The could easily have obtained a warrant, but apparently felt they had no probable cause.
One additional K-9 Unit Officer.
Catch & Release – The Trafficking was; Noted, Recorded, and Suspect(s) released.
Non-Escallation Incident (No excessive use of Force) – Traffic Violation was duly served.
Cut-N-Dry Proof – All was done properly by LEO within their jurisdictional powers.
The Federal Law ‘Trafficking Act ‘ was recorded Legally (Caught in the Act legally).
No Entrapment made by Tennessee LEO.
See Video Below
The expired license is sufficient to search.
Police release video of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s traffic stop in 2022
Authorities in Tennessee have released video of a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He’s the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Officers suspected human trafficking, but he was never charged and was allowed to drive on.
By: Ben Finley and Travis Loller – AP ~, May 2, 2025
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/kilmar-abrego-garcia-traffic-stop-tennessee-91bc2890768163671c71eb55420b59ee
Video:
Who is the person in the front passenger seat? Does s/he look like a construction worker returning home from St. Louis to Maryland after a Hard Day’s Night? (Hard Day’s Flight?) If so,Boy, the YMCA Village People would really like him/her!
Biden’s ICE never responded to the Tennessee troopers:
Fox News Digital obtained Tennessee Highway Patrol bodycam footage from a 2022 traffic stop where troopers pulled over Abrego Garcia for speeding. Inside his vehicle were eight other men, raising immediate suspicions. “He’s hauling these people for money,” one trooper said. Troopers found $1,400 in cash and flagged Abrego Garcia in the National Crime Information Center, which returned a gang/terrorism alert. ICE was called, but never responded.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/kilmar-abrego-garcia-indicted-human-trafficking-charges-ordered-appear-before-judge-nashville.amp
Calm down.
Garcia was, most likely, driving back construction workers to work for construction companies (for peanuts on the dollar) .. .
*like many other U.S. businesses.
That’s still a crime. He needs to go somewhere but he can’t stay here. And why should we pay for years of his incarceration when he should be the responsibility of his home nation. I don’t want to provide him with 3 hots and a cot plus benefits for countless years on my dime.
What about all the U.S. businesses, whole industries, that recruit these poor people, mama?
*do they have any culpability?
None of that has anything to do with whether Garcia is guilty, which is the only thing that matters in this case.
When you start a comment with “What about,” we can be forgiven for thinking it constitutes whataboutism.
Goes to ‘intent’ .. . but nice re-direct counselor.
*they teach you that up in Harvard?
Garcia claimed he was driving the 9 passengers back from two weeks of construction work in St Louis. But the vehicle had not been in the St Louis area during the prior 12 months, and none of the men had luggage or tools, and Garcia had wads of cash. The vehicle had, however, recently been in Texas near the border.
Therefore, do you wish to revise or clarify your position that these 9 passengers were construction workers returning from a job site, all coincidentally going to Garcia’s address?
When you say that the vehicle was not seen in St. Louis in the past 12 months, what you mean is that they could not find the license plate in the automatic license plate reader systems.
That proves nothing.
If the plates were recorded, they could prove the vehicle was in St. Louis.
But just because the automatic plate readers did NOT record the vehicle’s presence is absolutely NOT affirmative evidence that the vehicle was never there.
All that proves is that the automatic plate readers did not record the plate.
Therefore there is absolutely no evidence that Garcia was lying about returning from St. Louis.
I think it does constitute evidence that the car was not there. Unless they were malfunctioning, the plate readers would have recorded it if the car had been there. Are you aware of any reason to believe they were malfunctioning?
Also, I mentioned other things you ignored: the vehicle was detected recently in Texas near the border, the supposed construction workers had no luggage or tools even though they had supposedly been in St Louis for two weeks, Garcia had loads of cash, and the 9 passengers gave Garcia’s address as their residence. I think any reasonable juror would take all of that evidence into account, not to mention the 6 cooperating witnesses.
OMFK
The ability of the MAGA mind to twist itself into a pretzel to try to confirm preconceived beliefs is truly astounding.
The vehicle’s license plate was not recorded in St. Louis.
You seem to think that the only possible reason for this is that the automatic license plate readers (ALPR) must have to be malfunctioning.
You presume that if the vehicle was in St. Louis then its license plate MUST have been captured.
This presumes that ALL license plates of All vehicles, EVERYWHERE in St. Louis are captured EVERYDAY.
This is a completely absurd assumption, but provides a window into the MAGA mind.
There are a multitude of reasons why this cannot possibly be true.
Firstly, the cameras are not EVERYWHERE. That would require tens of thousands of cameras. St. Louis has a few hundred cameras.
There are many other reasons.
Bad weather. It was November 30. Rain, snow, fog all impair the cameras. Icing is a problem in winter.
Poor lighting, angle of view, dirt on the plates all impair detection.
The cameras do not work well in the dark unless they have infrared capability. Cameras with infrared capability are much more expensive. St Louis did not start installing Flock cameras with infrared capability until December 2023, a full year after the AG traffic stop.
Since St. Louis did not have ANY infrared cameras in 2022, then it is highly probable and likely that the vehicle could have been there and simply not been detected.
AG said he was making the trip to pick up the workers. He was not staying in St.Louis.
He would almost certainly have arrived in St. Louis after 5:00pm. In November it would have been dark, and since there were no infrared cameras he would not have been detected. If he left early in the morning it would also have been dark.
Also consider where he was stopped. He was stopped on I-40 in Putnam in Tennessee. This would be on the most direct route from St. Louis to Maryland.
The fact that his vehicle was not detected in St. Louis means absolutely nothing, and his story of travelling from St.Louis to Maryland exactly matches the route upon which he was travelling.
It also exactly matches the route from Houston to Maryland. You didn’t mention that part, which seems relevant since his vehicle *was* detected in that area. You also willingly blind yourself to the unlikelihood of his story, with the nine men having no tools or luggage (this is the third time I’ve pointed it out, and you persistently ignore it), and giving the same address as Garcia. Until you come to grips with *all* the suspicious circumstances in this case, your comments are worthless.
P.S. If you want to inform yourself of the evidence in this case, you could start by reading the indictment:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25965691-charges-against-kilmar-abrego-garcia/
My position is as stated. Garcia was, Most Likely, driving these poor construction workers around to work for U.S. construction companies. .. happens all the time.
I will add: they, the poor construction workers, are way down the list of genuine ‘national security’ threats.
*and $1,400 is not a ‘large wad of cash’.
Then the only conclusion is that you are more wedded to your own fantasies than to the obvious facts of the case as revealed by the evidence. Enjoy your weekend.
@oldman
Oh, I guarantee he’s guilty as sheet. The pieces of excrement ruined Southwestern border towns, of which I am from originally, and I would love to see this ‘Midwestern man’ take it up the behind. I have zero issues with any of these people being treated like the terrorists they are. The dissenting trolls are likely laptop liberals in blue metropolitan areas that have no clue what life is actually like anywhere else, particularly if they can still run to their parents’ house or their trust funds for shelter. But what is new? 🤷🏻♂️ They are the modern left, head to toe, and they are absurd, spoiled children, given to violent temper tantrums. You don’t acquiesce to spoiled children; you spank them.
Yes, heavy fines and eventual shut down if continued.
Yes, and there should be heavy fines (ones that negate the benefit of hiring illegals at slave labor) so that there is a negative or zero sum gain for this activity.
If García is am HS informant then Reyes would be arrested as a known traffic smuggler. He was. How many other acquaintances have been put away?
He’s innocent until proved guilty. The weight is on the prosecution.
The $1400 cash is reasonable, given Garcia was driving a fully loaded (nine passengers) Older Suburban (V8 or V6) from Houston to Maryland.
Easy to spend: $80 per Fill up, Drive thru, Tollway cost. and Maybe a Hotel along the way. May not have been Mule Money.
Such are the affairs here in West Trumpistan.
And more waste of time comments from Bensonia.
JT has truly gone to the dark side. I thought he was a lawyer? He teaches law lectures our Senators and Congressman on occasion. Yet me makes a statement like this…
“If Abrego Garcia had been removed, little attention would likely have been drawn to his prior conduct.”
Innocent until proven guilty? I wonder if JT has heard of that?
And JT brings up this little tidbit…
“This information was provided by tested source who has provided truthful accurate information in the past. See Prince Georges County Police Department (Gang Sheet).””
Is this the information provided by the jailhouse snitch? Yep, those snitches are notoriously accurate. NOT. What inmate wouldn’t love to give “information” for some privileges or reduced charges?
Give me a break JT, What happened to you? The filthy lucre of Fox was just too much to ignore? Makes your life so much more comfortable I bet.
You got your licensee to practice law where?
I now understand why you use the name Baby. Fits you
Many confidential informants are not jailhouse snitches, just people in the community. The police saying that the CI has previously provided accurate information suggests this is not a jailhouse informant.
Regardless, whether they are or not, their testimony is admissible in court. It is up to the fact finder (eg, the jury) to assess their credibility. The fact finder could believe their testimony. Just because someone gets consideration for testifying doesn’t mean their testimony is false.
At this point we don’t know it is true either. That is what courts and judges are for. Due Process. It matters.
I was responding to the baby’s suggestion that the testimony of confidential informants is always unreliable (and to his unsupported claim that the informants in question are jailhouse snitches).
What is so very stunning, Mr. Baby, is that while you strain at gnats, legal loopholes that should not even be afforded non-citizen interlopers, AND in protection of clearly criminal activity (what they used to call probable cause), you swallow whole camels: eight people sitting in a car, no ID’s, all claiming one-address, and you think a “snitch” is to blame for false charges. You are living in a cheating construct that you never question, as Turley does….
I’m still trying to understand how an illegal alien is “wrongly deported”.
* . There’s a moral issue when deporting suspected gang members. There’s simple deport, go free and there’s deport, prison. The 3rd option is prison, deport.
The prison sentence carries with it a trial. If García is found guilty he’ll do prison, then deport or deport el salvador prison. If no conviction then deport to El Salvador.
The moral issue is the US cannot dump dangerous people even just suspect anywhere at all including into the US population as was done under Biden. The 2nd moral point is a fair trial before sentence.
The conclusion is he’s not staying. He’s not running loose anywhere right now.
Deportation is a legal process that requires due process.
Removal without due process is by definition “wrongful deportation”
Good. I want to see this go to trial. All the evidence provided for all to see.
Times 15 million.
Dear Prof Turley,
Good news. .. In America, people are generally considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
cc Secretary of DHS Kristi Noam.
Don’t think the photo Trump was so publicly waving around with MS13 ‘tattooed’ on Garcia’s knuckles will hold up in court. It is most likely ‘fake’ news.
‘Human trafficking’ is a serious charge. What’s the latest on the Epstein files?
Not sure day-laborers/construction workers qualify. .. and if they did, they should first investigate the construction companies recruiting them.
Don’t think Garcia’s wife is going to be a witness for the prosecution.
If ‘terrorism’ is the use of violence against civilians to achieve political goals .. . we’re definitely deporting the wrong people.
*see you in court.
Garcia’s wife’s testimony would be unrelated to the charges, so it would be inadmissible on relevancy grounds. Unless Garcia calls character witnesses to testify that he is law abiding and peaceful. Then the prosecution could require her testimony as rebuttal even if she would rather not testify.
I only mentioned it because Turley suggested Garcia “was repeatedly accused of beating his wife.”
And I think we both agree that the only thing she could testify about is her knowledge of Garcia’s illegal trafficking operations, which apparently included drugs, weapons, and solicitation of child porn, from what I have read.
With that said, it seems possible that she might have some first hand knowledge of those things and she could be required to testify about them, don’t you think? Unless he was meticulous in keeping her completely shielded from it.
I think she could testify to Garcia being a ‘wife beater’.
Don’t have a clue about Garcia’s charges ” apparently included drugs, weapons, and solicitation of child porn, from what I have read.” .. and, apparently, neither do you.
*apparently, you wasted all that money on a Harvard education old man .. . you could have gotten for 10 cents in overdue library fines./
I’m just saying what I have read, which I think is what everyone on here is doing unless they are personally involved in the case, which nobody has yet claimed to be.
“*apparently, you wasted all that money on a Harvard education”
Kansas, when you engage with dgsnowden, you’re addressing an intellectual lightweight, a poseur cloaked in seriousness, but hollow to the core.
Meyer – it took me a long time to realize that. Perhaps I had some clue with his chronic Jew hatred, which seems to have diseased his mind. But just based on the last week’s worth of his comments, he seems to be getting even more unhinged and detached from reality. So now the realization of what you say has dawned on me with a thud.
accused of beating his wife.”
*******************
More than once and yes the stay way order.
This will be fun
Excellent reason not to have her testify. Doubt she will. It could mean another beating or Davey Jones locker.
Guess you won’t be able to accurately define “terrorism” until it touches a family member or lands at your house: these people, invading your land and using up your tax resources, with no allegiance to your country, are not on your side, and they will turn against you, “use violence against civilians” to keep their gravy-train going.
So, no, the “wrong people” are not being deported—what we have is a problem of “the wrong people” (extreme-leftists) in control, forcing a one-party ideology and system, bending the rule of law every which way (that suits), to force their ideology, no matter how detrimental to American life and culture.
Drastic policies, the Biden/Mayorkas “open borders” worked to bring exactly these “problems” (and divisions) to bear upon us, just so people like you, useful idiots, would foam at the mouth and assist with the internal destruction of our country. Yes, we’ll see it all in court, just as planed.
*. ” not on your side” you say? Perhaps he’s an illegal gang member sitting in prison right now?
In such a case, he’s got a point?
You have my Greatest respect. I always look forward to your posts.
This is no exception. You are 100% correct.
The liberals are excited about him being back but they do not understand the big picture
You mean—quit while you’re ahead type thing?
Abrego-Garcia will be acquitted.
The charges are laughably absurd and obviously politically motivated.
The biggest giveaway is the fact that the Assistant US Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division of the Middle District of Tennessee resigned because of the political motivation for the charges.
He refused to participate in this charade.
Garcia is facing 2 charges. Count 1 is conspiracy to transport aliens and Count 2 is transportation of aliens. Both charges are extremely thin.
Count 1 is conspiracy to transport aliens, where the allegations come from 6 unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators who have been given immunity. Who are these people? What deals have they cut with the government to ensure that charges against them have been dropped?
Count 2 is based on a traffic stop in Tennessee in 2022. He was not charged with any violations. The officers let him go with a warning.The officers noted that AG had 9 passengers in the vehicle. None of the passengers had any identification.
They asked the passengers to identify themselves by writing down their names on a piece of paper. The police report also says that the officers were unable to read the names because of poor writing. So we do not know who these people were. We do not know their names. We do not know if they were in fact aliens.
For this charge to stick, the government has to affirmatively identify the passengers as aliens.
This is the ONLY allegation of actual transportation, and it is unprovable.
The government is trying to bolster these very thin allegations by claiming that AG is a member of MS13. The only evidence they have is double hearsay from a Gang Field Interview Sheet that had been completed by a detective who was later dismissed from the force and convicted of criminal misconduct related to his official duties. The original allegation of gang membership came from an unnamed and unidentified informant who claimed that AG wore a Chicago Bulls hoodie and cap which signified gang membership. An immigration court judge ruled that this allegation was not substantiated or reliable.
Garcia may be here illegally, and may be deportable, and may have committed other crimes, but these particular criminal charges will not stick. Whether or not he beat his wife is irrelevant. He is not charged with that.
Many legal experts have said that any competent defense attorney would have no difficulty in defending these charges.
The DOJ has cooked up the charges to please Trump.
Of course Turley, who probably realizes all of this, prefers to feed the MAGA mob with a healthy portion of red meat.
Six eyewitnesses accounts is pretty substantial evidence. Sure the defense will bring out on cross examination the agreement for lenient treatment, but that’s par for the course, and it doesn’t make the witnesses’ testimony inadmissible. A fact finder could still choose to believe those witnesses.
Well, there is the car he was driving and testimony of others. Expired license and illegal status. There is of good moral character and letters verifying that? At least he’ll be deported and then come back in later. Escaped jail time and prison.
Everyone is responsible for García because no one did anything about it as it occurred.
More importantly perhaps, no one filed on misinterp, misapp of “asylum”. It is no longer ongoing and has been rectified via elections. When all branches fail there’s always the people to set it right.
Perhaps there’s 4 branches of government: Legislative, Executive, Judicial and the People.
* WHAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND IS ILLEGAL ENTRY INTO THE USA FOR ANY REASON IS AGAINST THE LAW. IS THAT CLEAR? DO YOU NEED A PICTURE?
“. . . by claiming that AG is a member of MS13. The only evidence they have is double hearsay . . .”
That is false.
He admitted in court to being a gang member. That was the basis for his request to not be deported to Guatemala. (Contrary to popular misunderstanding, it was not El Salvador.)
Sam
If that was true, the admission to being a gang member would be front and center in the indictment.
It’s NOT.
The ONLY allegation of gang membership in the indictment comes from the bogus double hearsay.
You will probably now claim that the prosecution is “saving” that evidence. Unfortunately that’s not how it works. The prosecution has to disclose ALL the evidence.
Prior to trial, the prosecution has to disclose all exculpatory evidence. The evidence you’re talking about is not exculpatory, but inculpatory. And on what basis do you say it has to be disclosed at the indictment stage of the litigation? I’ve never heard of such a rule, but perhaps you have. If so, please specify. I’ll wait.
As for his membership in MS-13: it’s not just the feds who say so. Six years ago Prince Georges County Police validated his membership. You may say the feds and the PG County police are both wrong, but they have done investigations which led to their conclusions. Have you?
OMFK
Do you seriously think that if Garcia had admitted to gang membership under oath, that Bondi would not have included that in the indictment. It would not only be in the indictment, but she would be on Fox every 5 minutes proclaiming this.
Th “investigation” by PG Police was the completely discredited double hearsay from a detective who filled out a Gang Field Interview Sheet based on an unnamed and unidentified individual outside a Home Depot who said that AG wore a Chicago Bulls hoodie and cap. This was regarded as evidence of gang membership in the MS13 clique based in New York, where he has never lived and there is no evidence that he has ever been there.
The detective was later dismissed from the force and convicted of criminal misconduct related to his official duties.
An immigration judge dismissed this “evidence” as unsubstantiated and unreliable.
Yup, all law enforcement statements by local and federal authorities that have conducted investigations on this case are all incorrect, and only *you* know the real truth of what is really going on. When pigs can fly, notify me please, and then I’ll admit you were right all along.
“OMFK”
Just out of morbid curiosity: What do you think was the basis for his request to the IJ court to not be deported to Guatemala?
Here’s a hint:
“I fear for my safety if I’m sent to Guatemala.”
“Why?”
“Because of retaliation from *competing* gang members.”
That is called an admission, in court, that he is a gang member.
“If that . . .”
You can argue all the “ifs” you wish. Or you can read the original IJ documents — which I did.
I prefer my facts first-hand.
This seems such a waste of taxpayer money. He’ll be in prison waiting for trial, while the U.S. feeds him and legal proceedings cost is on our dime too. I’m not sure how “due process” works for illegals. I understand that the Constitution requires due-process, but does the Constitution apply to U.S. citizens only? or, for illegals, are there specific rules for them?
*. Due process is for everyone. It’s a bedrock principle in the USA based on the trial of Jesus Christ who was innocent of the charges and an example of mob rule.
Yes and no. Due process is in the Constitution, but that has nothing to do with Christ. A reasonable person would hesitate before comparing a violent criminal to Christ.
Second, what is the process that is due? It is pretty minimal where someone is in this country illegally.
*. I did not compare a violent criminal to Jesus Christ. I compared the process that no innocent person should be imprisoned without a fair trial.
Christ had a trial. It wasn’t fair. He was put to death. Mob rule.
12 jurors, 12 apostles. Doubt, doubting Thomas. Remain silent. Mercy.
Better 100 guilty should go free than 1 innocent should be convicted.
It’s there alright. 10 rights in the Bill. Ten commandments. Creator endowed. It’s obvious and reasonable.
Perhaps this will be censored.
Think as you will as the law has been clogged by minutiae.
Elephant in the room: Kilmar got nabbed because license plates readers records going back his entire tenure as trafficker. Likely supplemented by his face pictures at highway toll booths. Home Depot live shared with Feds CCTV footage did not help him either. Add AI suspects’ matching software.
The license plate reader evidence only proves interstate travel which is not a crime.
All that proves is the vehicle was seen in multiple states. It does not prove that Garcia was the driver.
The government has the burden of proving that Garcia was the driver, and that he was transporting aliens, which they obviously can’t prove.
The charges are very thin and obviously cooked up for political purposes.
Psychopaths are born that way, sociopaths develop from the environment that they’re in. The Soviet Democrat party has successfully became a lab for creating a bumper crop of of sociopaths to inflict on America.
Democrats rushing to defend their “Maryland Man” hero, this vile terrorist cull who sexually abused and sex trafficked Illegal Alien women – when he wasn’t beating his wife -is just part of their sociopathic amoral values and behavior.
Doesn’t bother them the slightest or cause them to ask questions after both the Clintons and Obamas had Harvey Weinstein on their White House open door policy guest list with access to their daughters for EIGHT years – despite their Secret Service close protection details warning them their BFF and lucrative bagman was a well known serial pedophile and rapist. Meh… that’s history, why ask about it.
Doesn’t bother them that The Oval Office House Plant had a record of sexual deviance from when he was VP Daddy-Daughter Inappropriate Incest Showers and a long record of fondling other people’s wives and little kids in the public eye. Voted for him every time they had the chance!
Nor did it bother a single Democrat politician or Marxist voter to learn that The Oval Office House Plant had been funding and providing protection from prosecution to his equally perverted First Bagman Crackhead Son, who was creating his own porn channel, sex with underage hookers, moving women across state lines for prostitution, etc.
So why would anyone expect them to find some kind of morality and stop defending and attempting to make excuses for Abrego-Garcia, a terrorist, rapist and sex trafficker of Illegal Alien women and little girls?
Baby Mama needs to be indicted, too. While Kilmar was making steady income trafficking (100+ times!) and supplementing with day jobs at Home Depot parking lots, Mama was (and is) collecting food stamps and housing allowance. These are entirely Fed money, disbursed by state and county. In order to collect, Mama certified eligibility, meaning she skipped Kailmar’s income on paperwork. Federal crime. Bondi needs to look at it.
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -Michael Savage
He’s not wrong. Coddling the worst criminals in society like Garcia, and absurdly denying their criminality, is one example. Another is the certifiable lunacy of promoting men playing in (and dominating) women’s sports.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1931016120728682885.html
But will Democrats serve Patrón or 1800® REPOSADO Tequila to celebrate his return to America? Difficult call because they are both good but Patrón is 💪🏾
Rubio to Van Hollen: We deported gang members, ‘including the one you had a margarita with’
😉
The Tennessee Highway Patrol encounter with Garcia gives us an insight to the real problem behind local police encounters with our immigration laws. Cases like this involve clear federal law violations that states and localities are not going to foot the bill for; it’s as simple as that.
And so is the answer. Congress should pass legislation giving every local police department the authority to hold prisoners up to 48 hours on presumptive federal charges. During the 48 hours, the feds could be contacted and requested to take custody of the prisoner(s) on an administrative writ of detainer. This document would receipt the assumption of custody and state a potential charge. Importantly, this legislation should include a minimum reimbursement of costs to the arresting department and to the local jail authorities for detaining and holding the prisoners. There are precedents with the federal agriculture laws and other federal laws that state police routinely are permitted to enforce.
The chatter about sanctuary cities and how immigrants won’t trust the police if they arrest illegal aliens is nonsense. It’s just an excuse to conserve scarce funds by not arresting people for federal crimes for which corresponding state violations are either weak or non-existent. The difference between a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer and a federal ICE agent, specifically the jurisdictional barriers that exist, is why crimes like this are all too often ignored. As Turley notes, this case came to light in the first place only because of the Democrats’ desire to embarrass the Trump administration.
Ironically, Kilmar Abrego Garcia now may have a 14th Amendment argument of selective and invidious prosecution, in that the government all but ignored his alleged crimes until they became a politically hot potato. This, more than anything else, caused the government to select him for treatment, which it otherwise showed that it was willing to disregard in favor of deportation.
jjc:
Your words, “It’s just an excuse to conserve scarce funds by not arresting people for federal crimes for which corresponding state violations are either weak or non-existent.”
I’m reading and nodding at much of what you say, but I think of the tremendous burden placed on states in dealing with protesters/vandalism/violence directed at federal law personnel. Have you seen the videos of the recent rampage by protesters in Los Angeles while ICE personnel gathered some 40+ individuals at four separate LA locations?
The crude destruction against law enforcement, spray painting (e.g., “PIGS”) on buildings, broken glass, rocks and bricks, etc.. (“the roar of the [ ] paint, the smell of the [mob]”)
Does the federal government reimburse local gov’ts/states for that destruction? I don’t think so; I may be wrong.
Good comment jjc
JJC,
Well said and great analysis!
Please…illegal alien…not undocumented
This hardly means that the Trump Administration has resolved this case “on its terms.” Garcia’s return confirms that DOJ lawyers were acting in bad faith, indeed lying, in maintaining that they couldn’t get him back. We’ll see if the newly disclosed charges hold up in court. The indictment itself means very little. If the government had enough hard evidence to support a conviction, it’s hard to believe they would not have disclosed it earlier. Time will tell.
GFY.
Anonymous says, “Garcia’s return confirms that DOJ lawyers were acting in bad faith.”
“If the government had enough hard evidence to support a conviction, it’s hard to believe they would not have disclosed it earlier.”
I believe you’ve made some conclusory statements here that circumvent some factual realities.
Was El Salvador originally willing to accommodate any “facilitation” for him to be returned?
Are you glossing over the fact that Garcia’s “return” has nothing to do with, and is not in furtherance of, the original “facilitation” directive, but rather on new charges following a grand jury indictment just three weeks ago (May 21)? (This one not relating to MS-13 and illegal presence in the U.S., but rather to transportation smuggling charges)?
Please correct me if I am wrong on these facts.
“We’ll see if the newly disclosed charges hold up in court. ”
Yup.
Lin, did you comment on yesterday’s article, DEI DOA? Interested in your commentary…
Garcia was not supposed to be deported to El Salvador by court order. Trump administration officials including Trump claimed they couldn’t bring him back, ever.
Now they did because they found these supposed charges? That’s after defying the courts and the Supreme Court.
George:
It is my understanding that the Trump administration was never charged with any “defiance”any court order or SCOTUS decision upholding a directive to “facilitate” Garcia’s return. It is also my understanding that there was no compliance time window indicated in that directive.
It is also my understanding that while this was happening, the Trump administration was diligently working on information regarding the Tennessee stop and release, including dealing with Tennessee’s Open Records law, etc. (which delayed the vetting of factual information) in order to issue the Indictment related to that charge. The record reflects that TN state troopers were directed by the Biden administration to take photos of the other eight vehicle occupants (whose identifications were otherwise lacking) and then to release them. The state troopers did as they were told.
You should be proud that you live in a country where troopers honor the commands given to them, even if suspicious, and try to follow the law. Videos of the trooper’s stop verify that the Garcia/the eight were treated with politeness and proper demeanor.
“Garcia was not supposed to be deported to El Salvador by court order.”
Actually, the original court order was to not deport him to *Guatemala*.
“Garcia was not supposed to be deported to El Salvador by court order.”
Guatemala, not El Salvador.
These posts supporting this child trafficker, rapist, and killer are from the same people who claimed The Oval Office House Plant, previously known as The Oval Office Pedo In Chief, was “sharp as a tack”.
This post hardly means that Biden’s Bolshevik Birthing Boys are acting in good faith (for the first time) when they claim that there is no difference in attempting to obtain the return of somebody deported to a supposedly wrong country because of a minor District Court’s ruling is actually no different than obtaining the return of a dangerous violent terrorist felon in order for that Favored Terrorist Felon of the Democrats to face dozens of criminal charges.
Maybe the Bolshevik Birthing Boys can have a fundraiser by selling tickets to a draw that entitles the winner to have a Grinder date and margaritas with Garcia and their favorite Democrat politician of choice.
Abrego-Garcia’s taking his case, years after the fact, to an Article III court, trained a spotlight on himself.
He wanted attention — he got it.