Yesterday, I tweeted out after hearing a segment on National Public Radio on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. NPR reported that there was no evidence presented that Abrego Garcia was an MS-13 member and that “he had been living quietly in Maryland” before he was suddenly arrested and deported.
While many disagree on the handling of the case, few would agree that Abrego Garcia who was reported for spousal abuse and suspected of human trafficking was “living quietly in Maryland.”
Anyone listening to the radio program would have been left with an incomplete and distorted account of the case.
The print story used the same language as the radio segment. NPR claimed that Abrego Garcia
“was granted protection by an immigration judge in 2019 that should have prevented his deportation. He had been living quietly in Maryland with his wife and three children and working in construction until Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested and deported him last month.”
I have previously said that I believe the Administration should have returned Abrego Garcia to the United States for a correct and prompt deportation. If he were to be brought back, I cannot see any barrier to Abrego Garcia not only being deported but deported back to El Salvador.
NPR leaves out a couple of facts in its passing reference to his being “granted protection by an immigration judge.”
Abrego Garcia already had a hearing at which the judge found evidence that he was an MS-13 member. It was not only based on his being arrested with MS-13 gang members and wearing clothing associated with the gang. It was also based on a confidential source connected to the gang. After losing at his hearing, Abrego Garcia then lost on appeal.
The only reason that Abrego Garcia was not removed is that he said that he was being threatened by a gang that could harm him in El Salvador. That gang, however, reportedly no longer exists.
More importantly, President Trump has declared MS-13 a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which bars the use of the justification for his not being removed. In other words, he has little factual or legal foundation under his original claims to remain in the country.
However, putting the merits aside, NPR’s portrayal of Abrego Garcia was bizarre. He was repeatedly accused of beating his wife. The court record states:
“Per the Prince Georges 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).”
Abrego Garcia was also suspected of human trafficking. Indeed, the description of the stop leaves one astonished that he was allowed to simply 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.”
So Abrego Garcia, an undocumented immigrant, was stopped with an expired license in a car with eight others and no luggage on a trip from Texas to Maryland. He gave a false statement and the officer suspected human trafficking but let him go.
It is now being reported 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.
One can reasonably object that there was no final adjudication of these claims from spousal abuse to human trafficking to gang membership. However, it strains credulity to claim that Abrego Garcia was living a “quiet” life in Maryland. The complaint of his wife that he was a wife-beater alone would seem to contradict NPR’s claim.
The claim has that certain “fiery but mostly peaceful” quality to it . . . except NPR just decided to leave out the “fiery” and the “mostly” parts.
This month I wrote about NPR repeating a false claim that the Supreme Court rejected the claim the government was involved in censorship — despite the express statement of the Court to the contrary.
NPR has long been accused of showing bias in its coverage. It is now facing calls to end the public subsidy for the news outlet.
