DOJ Probes 2022 Traffic Stop of Deported Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia Amid Legal Battles and HRW Criticism
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The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration. The investigation focuses on a stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol where Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle owned by Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, a convicted human trafficker. Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding with eight passengers, whom he claimed were construction workers from Missouri. Hernandez-Reyes, who met Abrego Garcia in 2015, admitted to hiring him to transport undocumented migrants from Texas to other locations in the U.S. and was granted limited immunity for his testimony.
Abrego Garcia's deportation has sparked legal battles, with U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordering his return to the U.S., a ruling affirmed by the Supreme Court. The Trump administration has resisted these orders, citing Abrego Garcia's alleged involvement in human trafficking and connections to organized crime, including MS-13. Body camera footage from the traffic stop showed Abrego Garcia was not given a ticket and was allowed to continue on.
In a related case, Daniel Lozano-Camargo, a 20-year-old Venezuelan, was also erroneously deported to El Salvador despite having a pending asylum request. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered his return to the U.S., citing a violation of a legal settlement that protected him from deportation. Lozano-Camargo had been arrested in Houston for drug possession and sentenced to 120 days in jail. The Trump administration has argued against his return, claiming he is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, though no public evidence has been presented.
Human Rights Watch has criticized these deportations, describing them as forced disappearances due to the lack of communication with families and the absence of official confirmation of the deportees' status. The organization has documented overcrowding, disease, and torture in Salvadoran detention facilities.
WOW! @TheTNStar has confirmed that the owner of the 2001 Chevy that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was driving during the 2022 TN Traffic Stop PAID Kilmar Abrego Garcia to traffic illegal aliens within the United States.
https://t.co/6dwoHwIMaj
They reveal the identity of the second immigrant mistakenly expelled to the Bukele mega-prison. He is 20 years old, Venezuelan and had protection from deportation.
https://t.co/R5L7a50C4n
