The Democratic Party may want to reconsider its embrace of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia as a political martyr, because the reality — newly exposed through damning body cam footage — is veering far from the sanitized “Maryland dad” narrative they tried to sell.
At the center of this increasingly controversial saga is Abrego-Garcia, an illegal immigrant deported to El Salvador, who quickly became a rallying point for left-wing activists and lawmakers. Fueled by sympathetic media portrayals and accusations that Trump’s deportation order was cruel and unjust, Democrats framed Abrego-Garcia as the victim of a broken system — someone wrongfully targeted by immigration enforcement and in need of humanitarian intervention.
BREAKING: @FoxNews has obtained the Tennessee Highway Patrol bodycam footage from when “Maryland Man” Kilmar Abrego Garcia was suspected of human trafficking during a traffic stop in 2022.
“He’s hauling these people for money,” a trooper says. https://t.co/GbCdtAEGBa
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 2, 2025
But while the Biden administration was slow-walking enforcement and federal judges were mandating efforts to “facilitate” his return, El Salvador shut the door. Their prison system — notably CECOT, a massive facility reserved largely for MS-13 gang members — absorbed Abrego-Garcia, and the U.S. lost jurisdictional leverage. That’s where the story should have ended.
But Democrats — including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and several members of Congress — decided to double down, traveling to El Salvador and personally meeting with Abrego-Garcia, demanding his release. This effort might now rank as one of the most politically reckless miscalculations in recent memory.
Thanks to newly released body cam footage, we now see a very different side of Abrego-Garcia. In 2022, Tennessee Highway Patrol officers stopped him during a traffic incident that immediately raised red flags:
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He was driving a vehicle linked to a convicted human smuggler.
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Inside were eight passengers, none of whom had a clear connection to him.
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He carried $1,400 in cash, suspected to be a payment for trafficking.
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His driver’s license was invalid, issued from Maryland.
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Officers clearly suspected he was engaged in human trafficking.
“He’s hauling these people for money,” one trooper says. Another remarks, “This is a good stop.”
And yet, in an astonishing lapse, ICE never came to pick him up. Despite the strong suspicion of illegal activity and his immigration status, he was released — only to become a central figure in the Democratic crusade against Trump-era deportations.
That wasn’t even the first major red flag. Public records show that Abrego-Garcia’s wife filed for protective orders, alleging repeated domestic violence, including kicking, slapping, and threats to kill her — even claiming he once bragged that “no one could do anything” if he murdered her.
This isn’t just a bad look — it’s a full-blown political faceplant for Democrats who built their messaging around Abrego-Garcia. By clinging to him as a symbol of Trump’s supposed cruelty, they’ve tethered themselves to a figure now credibly linked to abuse and human trafficking.
The fallout has already begun. Critics are rightly asking: Did anyone in the Democratic Party vet this guy? Or was the desperation to score political points against Trump so blinding that they were willing to defend a potential MS-13 affiliate accused of crimes against both women and children?
Either way, it’s a disaster. Not just because of the optics, but because it confirms every fear conservatives have voiced about the left’s handling of illegal immigration: that dangerous individuals are being shielded from consequences under the guise of compassion.
