Kristi Noem Refuses To Say Photo Of Abrego Garcia's Tattoos Posted By Trump Was Doctored To Include ‘MS-13'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refused to acknowledge Wednesday a photo President Donald Trump has used to justify the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador is doctored to show 'MS-13' on his knuckles—as the administration has doubled down on its plans to continue rapid deportations despite numerous legal challenges.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem swears-in to a House Committee on Homeland Security ... More hearing on fiscal year 2026 budget requests, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, May 14, 2025. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Noem, when asked repeatedly by Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., during a House hearing if the photo was edited to include the gang's moniker, attempted to change the topic to justify Abrego Garcia's deportation.
'I have a bullshit detector,' Swalwell told Noem in the heated exchange as he presented her with the photo, before she eventually answered 'I don't have any knowledge as to that photo you're pointing to.'
Trump, in an interview with ABC News last month, also insisted the obviously photoshopped image was real, as the Trump administration has claimed it won't return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. because he is a member of MS-13, though it has yet to present any direct evidence he's affiliated with the gang.
Abrego Garcia was deported back to his home country of El Salvador in March, a move the Trump administration later admitted in court was made in error when it overlooked a 2019 order from a judge who determined he would face gang threats in his home country and could stay in the U.S.
Noem told Swalwell Abrego Garcia's deportation 'wasn't based off of tattoos. It was based off an entire case.' The main evidence the government has presented to prove Abrego Garcia is a gang member is a 2019 interview Hyattsville, Maryland, police conducted with a confidential informant who said Abrego Garcia was a suspected member of the Long Island-based outpost of the gang, despite his lawyers saying he's never been to New York. Hyattsville police also said in a statement last month 'at no time' did they determine Abrego Garcia was a gang member, DC News Now reported.
Trump twice posted the photo in question to his Truth Social account, showing four tattoos Abrego Garcia has on each of his knuckles of a marijuana leaf, smiley face with an 'x' over the eyes, cross and a skull, with 'M S 1 3' above each symbol, respectively. 'M S 1 3' was clearly photoshopped onto the image, but Trump insisted in an interview with ABC News last month the letters and numbers were actually tattooed into Abrego Garcia's skin. Photos of Abrego Garcia taken during his meeting with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in El Salvador last month and released by the government of El Salvador do not show 'M S 1 3' tattooed on his knuckles. The conspiracy surrounding Abrego Garcia's tattoos stems from social media postings speculating that each symbol represents the letters and numbers in the gang's moniker.
The Trump administration continues to resist U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis' ruling instructing it to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S., an order upheld by the Supreme Court. The Justice Department has withheld information in the case from Xinis and Abrego Garcia's lawyers, claiming they fall under the state secrets privilege, a move Abrego Garcia's lawyers said amounts to a 'stonewall' by the government. The Justice Department has also disputed the meaning of 'facilitate' and has said El Salvador would need to initiate his return to the U.S., while El Salvador has said the same about the U.S.
The Conspiracy Behind Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Tattoos Explained—After Trump Insists Doctored 'MS-13' Ink Is Real (Forbes)
White House Doubles Down On Erroneous Deportation Of Maryland Dad (Forbes)
Sen. Van Hollen Says Trump Administration Made $15 Million Deal With El Salvador To Imprison Deportees Including Abrego Garcia (Forbes)

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