How ICE's Deportation of Salvadoran-Born Maryland Resident Sparked Widespread Misinformation

Since the Trump administration ramped up deportations of individuals labeled "illegal aliens," thousands were removed monthly—including Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran-born Maryland resident deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025.

García’s deportation became a focal point for widespread misinformation, particularly after Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen visited El Salvador and met with García.

On April 18, shortly after Van Hollen's visit, the White House social media accounts posted photos of him with García, alongside separate photos of Trump with Rachel Morin’s mother. Morin was killed by Victor Martinez-Hernandez, an undocumented Salvadoran. The caption read, "We’re not the same," and repeatedly linked García to the MS-13 gang.

Democratic Senator Did Not Violate the Logan Act On His El Salvador Trip

Simultaneously, allegations emerged that Van Hollen violated the Logan Act and should be arrested for unauthorized diplomacy.

Misbar investigated the claim and found it legally unfounded. The Logan Act, passed in 1799, restricts private U.S. citizens from negotiating with foreign governments on U.S. disputes.

However, as a sitting senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Van Hollen had the authority to engage in diplomatic oversight. His visit was aimed at monitoring García's detention conditions and advocating for adherence to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. All meetings were publicly documented, and no evidence of secret diplomacy or legal violations was found.

The Logan Act has never been enforced against a member of Congress and has not been used since 1853, without leading to a conviction. Passed in 1799 during tensions with France, it was triggered by Dr. George Logan’s unauthorized trip to ease tensions. Ironically, Logan later traveled to Britain in 1810 to prevent war, with no consequences, showing the law’s long history of non-enforcement.

Top Trump Officials Spread Misinformation About Maryland Resident’s Alleged Ms-13 Ties

The claim that García was an MS-13 member was part of a monthlong campaign by Trump officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, who falsely linked his deportation to a conviction for gang membership.

Court filings confirmed that García's removal was based on unverified gang affiliation claims. He has never been convicted or charged with any crimes, including those related to gang involvement or connection.

On April 10, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that García’s deportation be treated as if it never happened and directed the government to release him from custody in El Salvador.

ICE later admitted García's deportation was due to an administrative error, as he was mistakenly included on the flight manifest despite not being cleared for deportation.

The MS-13 allegations against García stemmed from a March 2019 police report, later reiterated in an April 16 reveal by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which claimed he was loitering near a Home Depot in gang-related attire. The report linked him to the Westerns clique, though García’s lawyers pointed out key inconsistencies — most notably that the clique is based in Long Island, New York, a place García has never visited.

Furthermore, the officer who authored the report was suspended for misconduct, specifically for providing information to a commercial sex worker in exchange for sexual acts, which undermined the report's credibility, according to The New Republic.

García was deported despite a 2019 ruling by Immigration Judge David M. Jones, who granted him protection due to credible threats from the Barrio 18 gang. The ruling was not appealed by the Trump administration at the time. Although his asylum request was denied due to a missed deadline, the judge acknowledged the danger and ordered his release from ICE custody, allowing him to work in the U.S.

The decade-long Maryland resident fled gang violence in San Salvador at age 16 in 2011 and sought asylum after his 2019 arrest in Hyattsville, where he was wrongly linked to the MS-13 gang.

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