Here's What the Illegal 'Maryland Man' Is Up To Following His Release
A Salvadoran national with documented ties to the violent MS-13 gang walked free from a Tennessee jail Friday after a court ordered his release, even as President Donald Trump’s administration continues its fight to remove him from the United States.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally, was released so he could rejoin his family in Maryland while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges. His case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, highlighting the clash between the President’s America First agenda and activist judges determined to obstruct it.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement detailing Garcia’s criminal history and gang affiliations:
“In 2019, the Prince Georges County Police Gang Unit validated Abrego Garcia as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) Gang. When he was arrested, he was found with rolls of cash and drugs and was with two other members of MS-13.”
DHS also recounted a December 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where state police pulled Garcia over for speeding:
“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… 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.”
Federal officials noted that Garcia’s wife had previously sought an order of protection against him, alleging physical abuse.
While Garcia was deemed eligible for pretrial release, his defense attorneys kept him in custody for months out of fear that the Trump administration might swiftly deport him. That fear was partially eased after a recent Maryland court ruling required immigration officials to give him time to contest removal orders.
On Friday, Garcia exited the Putnam County jail in Tennessee wearing a white shirt and black pants, flanked by his attorney, Rascoe Dean. They declined to answer questions before leaving in a waiting SUV.
The Tennessee court’s order requires Garcia to travel directly to Maryland, where he will live under home detention with his brother as custodian. He will be subject to electronic monitoring and can leave only for work, religious services, and other approved activities.
Garcia’s immigration lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, framed the release as a victory, saying his client had been “reunited with his loving family” for the first time since being deported to El Salvador in March. But he admitted the reprieve was fragile: “While his release brings some relief, we all know that he is far from safe. ICE detention or deportation to an unknown third country still threaten to tear his family apart.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the release, condemning the judiciary’s role in enabling dangerous criminals to remain in the country.
“Activist liberal judges have attempted to obstruct our law enforcement every step of the way in removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our country,” Noem said. She called the ruling a “new low” by a “publicity hungry Maryland judge.”
She added firmly: “We will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country.”
Meanwhile, Garcia’s attorneys are trying to get the smuggling charges dropped, claiming he is being “vindictively” targeted for resisting deportation. Defense attorney Sean Hecker described the prosecution as “a vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the Administration’s continuing assault on the rule of law.”
Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges, which originated from the 2022 traffic stop. Body camera footage from that encounter shows him with eight other passengers, raising concerns of trafficking. A DHS agent testified that the case was only actively pursued in 2024, when the administration faced growing calls to bring Garcia back into the country to face justice.
Garcia, who has an American wife and children, previously received protection from deportation to El Salvador after an immigration judge ruled he faced a “well-founded fear” of violence there. While he cannot be sent back to El Salvador under that ruling, Homeland Security officials have indicated plans to deport him to a third country instead.
For President Trump, the case underscores a broader battle: whether America’s sovereignty and safety will be prioritized over the demands of activist lawyers and lenient judges.