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The Making of a Gang Member
The Trump administration has made Kilmar Abrego Garcia its poster boy for mass deportations, but he’s not a criminal or a gang member
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was 16 years old when came to the United States in 2011 after members of the Barrio 18 gang in El Salvador threatened to kiil him and rape his sisters. He ended up living in Maryland with his brother for years without getting into any trouble. However, in 2019, he was arrested for loitering outside a Home Depot while looking for day labor work.
After being detained, a police officer asked him about being a gang member. Abrego Garcia denied involvement in any gang. Hours later, he was transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. During Abrego Gracia’s bond hearing, ICE submitted a “Gang Field Interview Sheet” (GFIS) to the court claiming he was a member of MS-13, a gang based in the U.S. that also operates in El Salvador.
Their claim was based on Abrego Garcia wearing Chicago Bulls athletic wear and a supposed confidential informant, a Prince Georges County police officer. The claim alleged Abrego Garcia was the leader of a gang in Long Island, a city he’s never lived in. When his lawyers summoned the Prince Georges County police to provide evidence of their claim, they were…
