As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to refuse the retrieval of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, Trump is facing backlash for trying to justify his wrongful deportation by sharing what appears to be a doctored photo of Abrego Garcia on social media.
On Friday (April 18), Trump shared a photo of the Maryland resident’s left hand. The photo showed tattoos on the knuckles, which were of a marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross, and a skull along with what appeared to be “MS-13,” the notorious street gang that the administration claims Abrego Garcia is part of. “This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such ‘a fine and innocent person.’ They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc. I was elected to take bad people out of the United States, among other things. I must be allowed to do my job,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network in the caption of the photo.
But tech reporter Matt Novak observed on Bluesky that in another photo of Abrego Garcia’s left hand, as he met with Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, the “MS-13” tattoo is nonexistent, as he shared a story from the New York Post highlighting the discrepancy. The backlash was immediate, adding to a growing bipartisan disapproval of the administration’s handling of the Abrego Garcia situation, including defying an order from the Supreme Court, which upheld a lower court decision to bring the father of three back to the United States.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins shared the doctored photo with one of Abrego Garcia’s lawyers, Rina Gandhi, during her show later that Friday. “My reaction is, this is just a continuation of the distraction,” Gandhi said, adding: “This case is about the simple fact that he was removed without due process. And if it can happen to him, and the government pushes back at every turn, despite three different courts ordering them to return him, then who’s next?”
Misinformation Chief: Trump Shares Doctored Abrego Garcia Photo Online
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