Newly resurfaced documents from a 2018 court case involving the alleged MS-13 member deported to El Salvador appear to confirm his association with the gang, according to statements made by the ex-husband of his wife.
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is at the center of the continuing controversy about whether the Trump administration was right to target him as a member of the violent gang and deport him to his home country. Garcia was living in Maryland illegally for years before his arrest.
According to court records, Edwin Trejo Ramos — the ex-husband of Sura — appealed to the Prince George’s County Circuit Court with an emergency measure to obtain custody of his two children out of fear for their safety.
“My kids’ live (sic) are in danger because she is dating a gang member,” he said about Garcia.
The affidavit is a window into the life of Garcia’s family. Elsewhere, Ramos admits that Sura previously tried to take her own life and said her therapist allegedly told her that her ex would never be able to receive custody of the children over her.
Since his arrest and deportation, Sura has emerged as a public advocate for Garcia’s return to the U.S., a decision she and allies claim rests with President Donald Trump.
During a contentious interview with ABC News to mark his 100th day in office, Trump agreed with reporter Terry Moran that he could “pick up the phone” and request that El Salvador return Garcia. However, he said that’s not going to happen given Garcia’s affiliation with MS-13.
“Just so you understand, the person that you’re talking about, you know, you’re making this person sound — this is a MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie, been in lots of skirmishes, beat the hell out of his wife, and the wife was petrified to even talk about him, OK? This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland,” Trump responded.
The latest evidence about Garcia’s gang connections, obtained by the NY Post, further validates the Trump administration’s claim that it was within the bounds of law to target and deport him under the Alien Enemies Act, though the framework and authority for such actions are continuing to be ironed out following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that served as a partial victory for Trump.
Earlier this month, an Obama-appointed judge ordered the administration to “take all available steps to facilitate” the return of Garcia, but the White House says that regardless of whether or not Garcia was officially a member of the gang, he remains an illegal immigrant who was eligible for deportation.
Looking past that disqualifier on Tuesday, Moran suggested President Trump was breaking the law by deporting Gracia.
“I’m not saying he’s a good guy. It’s about the rule of law. The order from the Supreme Court stands, sir,” Moran said.
Administration officials have countered, pointing to wording within the high court’s ruling that simply allows them to provide an aircraft for Garcia’s return if El Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele grants his freedom from a supermax prison.
Trump told the ABC News journalist that he is more focused on solving the broader scourge of illegal immigration than being hamstrung by intricacies about the case of Garcia, who, by most accounts, carried a murky past bordering on violent.
“I campaigned on that issue,” said Trump.
