Hillary Clinton Calls on ‘Americans of Conscience’ to Stand Against Deportation of MS-13 Gang Member Abrego Garcia

Abrego Garcia, a man from El Salvador, was deported on March 15, 2025, after living illegally in Maryland for nearly 15 years. He was sent back to El Salvador’s high-security Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

In 2021, Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, filed for a temporary protective order, accusing him of domestic abuse. She said he had physically assaulted her by hitting, scratching, and punching her.

Despite these allegations, Hillary Clinton posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday defending Garcia. She warned that his deportation, without a trial or criminal conviction in the U.S., shows how dangerous authoritarianism can be. She wrote, “If they can ship Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a foreign prison—accused of no crime, with no trial—they can do it to anyone,” and called on Americans to oppose such actions.

Many on the left have argued there’s not enough solid proof linking Garcia to the violent gang MS-13. Some claim he was just a regular family man. However, U.S. authorities say otherwise.

Back in 2019, Garcia was stopped by police in Maryland during a loitering incident at a Home Depot. He was with two known MS-13 members at the time. According to officials, he was identified as a ranking gang member known as a “Chequeo” and used the nickname “Chele.” He was wearing clothing that included gang-related symbols, including a Chicago Bulls hat and a gang-affiliated hoodie.

The Department of Homeland Security officially labeled him as a verified MS-13 member in 2019. In 2025, the U.S. government, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, classified MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), raising the legal stakes for members.

Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized in a press conference that Garcia will not be returning to the U.S. She explained that both immigration and appellate judges confirmed his gang membership. “He should not be in our country,” she said. Bondi also mentioned that his deportation paperwork was nearly complete before the FTO designation, and once it was finalized, Garcia was immediately deported.

Bondi concluded by making the government’s stance clear: Garcia is from El Salvador, and El Salvador is where he’s staying.