Do Kilmar Abrego Garcia's tattoos link him to MS-13 gang?

(NewsNation) — A photograph of tattoos connected the fingers of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, which President Donald Trump claims successful a societal media station is impervious that the Maryland antheral who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador is an MS-13 pack member, is being questioned for its authenticity.

Trump posted a photograph of himself successful the Oval Office on his Truth Social account holding up an representation of Abrego Garcia’s manus with the letters and numbers “M”, “S”, “1” and “3 printed connected it. The tattoos connected Abrego Garcia’s fingers see a marijuana leaf, a smiley look with 2 “Xs” for eyes, a transverse and a skull.

In his station precocious past week, Trump wrote, “This is the manus of the antheral that the Democrats consciousness should beryllium brought back, due to the fact that helium is specified ‘a good and guiltless person.' They said helium is not a subordinate of MS-13, adjacent though he’s got MS-13 tattooed into his knuckles, and 2 Highly Respected Courts recovered that helium was a subordinate of MS-13, bushed up his wife, etc.”

Responses person been widespread, including those saying that the photo displayed successful Trump's societal media station was doctored.

Linda Higgins, a retired Minnesota authorities senator, responded to the station by writing connected X, “Hey Old Man @realDonaldTrump, person idiosyncratic thatch you astir Photoshop. This is an fantabulous illustration of altering a photo, successful this case, to marque your amerciable actions look good. But instead, you look foolish.”

Do tattoos automatically mean pack affiliation?

The Trump medication and agencies specified arsenic the Department of Homeland Security person continued to reason that Abrego Garcia should stay successful El Salvador. This comes contempt an bid from the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that the Trump medication indispensable "facilitate" his instrumentality aft Abrego Garcia was deported owed to an administrative error.

Despite the tribunal order, DHS released a bid of documents past week that the bureau insists beryllium Abrego is an MS-13 subordinate with a past of violence. Among the documents released past week was a 2021 impermanent restraining bid that was sought by Abrego Garcia's wife aft a dispute.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, whose husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported by ICE, speaks astatine a rally and quality league astatine the CASA Multicultural Center up of his hearing.

Abrego Garcia and his household person disputed immoderate ties to the MS-13 gang. The White House has not commented connected Trump's societal media station regarding Abrego Garcia's tattoos, but the medication has continued to support that the 29-year-old antheral who was granted protective presumption successful the United States successful 2019 is so a subordinate of the notorious gang.

A spokesperson for Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who met with Abrego Garcia past week in El Salvador, did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from NewsNation connected Monday.

In summation to the documents, The New York Times precocious reported that the Trump medication has leaned heavier into tattoos to necktie immigrants who entered the state illegally to pack activity. The authoritative White House X relationship reposted Trump's photograph with a station that read, "If it looks similar a duck, swims similar a duck, and quacks similar a duck, past it astir apt is simply a duck."

The study indicated that instrumentality enforcement agencies person utilized tattoos lone arsenic an denotation of imaginable pack affiliation. Joseph Kenny, main of detectives for the New York City Police Department, told the paper that a tattoo itself is ne'er capable grounds to supply rank successful a transgression organization.

But successful the lawsuit of Mara Salvatrucha, much commonly known arsenic MS-13, members typically person “MS” tattoos, according to John Colello, supervisor of the pack homicide part of the Los Angeles Police Department, who spoke to The New York Times.

Cholo, shows disconnected his pack tattoos and MS-13 manus signs connected January 23, 2006 successful Durham, North Carolina. Using his thoroughfare name, Cholo, an American-born national of Salvadoran heritage, is simply a subordinate of Mara Salvatrucha-13, the convulsive thoroughfare pack formed by refugees of El Salvador who fled the country's 1980's - 90's civilian warfare and settled successful Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

Since Trump's station precocious past week, immoderate net sleuths person attempted to nexus the marijuana leaf, smiley face, transverse and skull to MS-13. One societal media station indicated that the photograph utilized successful the Trump station was damning grounds against Abrego Garcia: “Marijuana leafage = M. Smiley look = S. Cross coverup = 1. Skull coverup = 3. MS-13.”

However, a root with Immigration and Customs Enforcement told The New York Post that a “13” tattoo would beryllium mandatory for Abrego Garcia if helium became a subordinate of the pack portion surviving successful the United States. Other pack experts person insisted in assorted media reports that MS-13 pack members person either "MS" oregon "13" prominently displayed successful tattoos, dissimilar the images displayed connected Abrego Garcia's fingers.

Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia a subordinate of the MS-13 gang?

As portion of its papers merchandise past week, the Justice Department released a 2019 study successful which Abrego Garcia was interviewed by the Prince George’s County Police Department successful Maryland.

The report, portion of a departmental Gang Field Interview Sheet, indicated that Abrego Garcia was seen wearing a Chicago Bulls shot headdress and a hoodie with rolls of wealth covering the eyes, ears and rima of U.S presidents connected the denominations of wealth erstwhile helium was apprehended on with different men successful a Home Depot parking lot.

Officers wrote that the Bulls headdress represents that the idiosyncratic is simply a subordinate successful bully lasting of MS-13. The officers spoke with confidential informants who said Abrego Garcia is an progressive subordinate of the gang’s Westerns clique.