The Evidence Linking Kilmar Abrego Garcia to MS-13: A Chicago Bulls Hat and a Hoodie [View all]

[Celerity]

What’s it take for Trump to label someone a gang member and deport them to a prison in El Salvador? Little more than a Chicago Bulls cap.

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/18/trump-kilmar-abrego-garcia-ms13-gang-database/


Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, right, stands with supporters in Hyattsville, Md., on April 4, 2025. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP

The Trump administration is doubling down on depicting Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a dangerous gang member. The government’s proof for this claim appears to hinge on a Chicago Bulls cap and a hoodie. While Trump continues to flout court orders to facilitate the Maryland father’s release from a notorious El Salvador prison, it is pointing to flimsy evidence of alleged MS-13 ties — adding to a long-running pattern of dubious gang designations by law enforcement and immigration agents.

Last month, immigration enforcement officials rounded up hundreds of migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, accusing them of being members of gangs the administration deemed terrorist organizations. Abrego Garcia, 29, a Salvadoran national, was among the men sent to the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, prison. The government admitted in court filings that he was sent there due to an “administrative error,” in violation of a court order blocking his deportation due to threats to his safety in El Salvador.

While many of the other detained men appear to be labeled as gang members mainly because of their tattoos, law enforcement officials seem to have singled Abrego Garcia out for his attire, additional documents released Wednesday by Attorney General Pam Bondi show.



The documents released detail a Prince George’s County Police Department encounter with Abrego Garcia in 2019. “Officers observed he was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie with rolls of money covering the eyes, ears, and mouth of the presidents,” they wrote. “Officers know such clothing to be indicative of the Hispanic gang culture.”

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