Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia? US man deported to El Salvador despite no criminal conviction, sparks legal showdown

Senator Van Hollen meeting Kilmar Abrego Garcia (Credits: AP)

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Maryland resident, has become the center of a legal showdown over US immigration policy after being deported to El Salvador in direct defiance of a federal court order.

The Trump administration justified the deportation by alleging his ties to the MS-13 gang claims Garcia denies despite a 2019 judge’s ruling explicitly prohibiting his removal.

A federal judge, backed by the Supreme Court, has ordered the Trump administration to assist in bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. and to provide proof of the steps taken.

Despite this, the administration continues to insist that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the MS-13 gang a designated foreign terrorist group and argues that his return is beyond their jurisdiction now that he is in El Salvador. Courts have already determined that his deportation was unlawful and that the U.S. government bears responsibility for facilitating his return to Maryland.

The White House maintains its stance that Abrego Garcia will not be allowed to re-enter the country. Abrego Garcia, who has not been convicted of any crime, denies any gang involvement.

Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia? 

He was born in July 1995 in Los Nogales, El Salvador, where he spent his early years helping his family operate a small pupusa business. However, his childhood was overshadowed by violence, as his family faced threats and extortion from the local gang Barrio 18.

Fearing for his safety, Garcia left El Salvador in March 2012, crossing into the United States near McAllen, Texas, at the age of 16. He eventually reunited with his U.S. citizen brother in Maryland, where he began rebuilding his life.

Garcia later married an American citizen, became a father to three children, and found stable work as a sheet metal apprentice, also joining a local trade union.

Legal troubles

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was detained in 2019 outside a Home Depot in Maryland, accused of gang ties based on flimsy evidence. No charges were filed, and a judge later granted him protection from deportation due to fears of gang persecution in El Salvador.

Despite this, Garcia was suddenly deported in March 2025, defying a court order. Now imprisoned in El Salvador, his wife calls him a hardworking family man wrongfully removed, as U.S. courts continue to demand his return.

Meeting with US senator

On April 17, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was briefly released from prison to meet with Demoract U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. It marked his first contact with anyone outside since his deportation.

Van Hollen described the deportation as an “illegal abduction” and shared that Abrego Garcia expressed sadness about being in prison, insisting he had committed no crimes. After the meeting, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed that Abrego Garcia would remain in custody, though he was found to be in good health.