Newly unearthed court documents are adding fuel to the controversy surrounding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national deported from the U.S. under the Trump administration’s hardline immigration crackdown. The records, dating back to 2018, lend weight to the administration’s assertion that Garcia was affiliated with the notorious MS-13 gang — a claim that had previously sparked debate over the legality and morality of his removal.
At the center of the case is Edwin Trejo Ramos, the ex-husband of Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura. In a sworn affidavit filed in Prince George’s County Circuit Court, Ramos pleaded for emergency custody of his children, citing Garcia’s alleged gang ties:
“My kids’ lives are in danger because she is dating a gang member,” Ramos stated, directly referencing Garcia.
This personal account, now resurfaced through court filings obtained by the New York Post, adds a firsthand perspective to the long-simmering question of whether Garcia posed a legitimate threat to those around him. Ramos also revealed troubling details about Sura’s own mental health struggles, including an alleged suicide attempt and comments from her therapist indicating a perceived legal edge over the father in custody proceedings.
Since Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador, where he remains imprisoned in a supermax facility, Sura has emerged as his most visible advocate, campaigning for his return to the U.S. and casting him as a victim of overreach by the Trump administration. Yet the administration — and particularly President Donald Trump himself — has made it clear they see Garcia not as a victim but as a threat.
In a fiery exchange during a recent ABC News interview with Terry Moran, Trump dismissed suggestions that Garcia was unlawfully removed:
“This is a MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie,” Trump said. “Been in lots of skirmishes, beat the hell out of his wife, and the wife was petrified to even talk about him… This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland.”
While an Obama-appointed federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to “take all available steps” to facilitate Garcia’s return, White House officials argue the administration is still acting within the scope of the law.
Central to their argument is the Alien Enemies Act, which they claim authorizes the president to deport non-citizens considered dangerous during times of conflict or instability. Furthermore, they point to language in a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows, but does not compel, the executive branch to provide logistical support — such as transportation — if El Salvador agrees to release Garcia.
But Moran pressed the point during the interview, citing judicial authority:
“The order from the Supreme Court stands, sir,” he said.
Trump pushed back:
“I campaigned on that issue,” he replied, referring to illegal immigration. “We’re solving a problem, not creating one.”
