On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released video footage showing Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia bound in restraints while being escorted by an officer wearing a vest marked “POLICE ICE.”
In the clip, Abrego Garcia can be heard saying “gobierno corrupto” — Spanish for “corrupt government.”
DHS shared the video on social media, writing: “He doesn’t belong here. He won’t be staying here. America is a safer nation without this MS-13 Gangbanger in it. Good riddance.”
He doesn’t belong here.
He won’t be staying here.
America is a safer nation without this MS-13 Gangbanger in it.Good riddance. pic.twitter.com/ecldKZvuw3
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 26, 2025
ICE Arrest in Maryland
According to DHS, Abrego Garcia was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at a Maryland processing center on federal immigration violations.
He is currently being processed for removal to Uganda, though that deportation is the subject of ongoing litigation.
A DHS press release emphasized that the administration views him as a significant public safety threat:
“President Trump and Secretary Noem are not going to allow this illegal alien – who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator – to terrorize American citizens any longer.”
Ongoing Legal Battle
Abrego Garcia’s case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown.
His deportation to Uganda has been contested by his attorneys, who argue the government is engaging in vindictive prosecution after his earlier removal to El Salvador was reversed in court.
The case remains pending as federal judges weigh whether the deportation can proceed.
