Democrats might want to rethink making Kilmar Abrego-Garcia the face of their movement if newly released body cam footage is any indication of where things are headed. And to be clear, that's rhetorical, because it's absolutely an indication of where things are headed.

For those unfamiliar with the Abrego-Garcia saga, the illegal immigrant was recently deported back to his home country of El Salvador. Because he was sent to CECOT, the Central American nation's gang prison (mostly made up of MS-13 members), controversy broke out about whether sufficient due process was given. Multiple judges have been involved, and the Trump administration has been ordered to "facilitate" Abrego-Garcia's return to the United States. 

There's just one problem: El Salvador said no, and since he's their citizen, the United States has no ability to undo his deportation. That's left the two sides of the issue in a stalemate.

ALSO SEE: Rubio Shuts Down Reporter Trying to Bait Him About Abrego Garcia 

But while that's the very abbreviated version of the situation, the more interesting part of this has been the Democrat response. Immediately, they turned Abrego-Garcia into a symbol of their anti-Trump resistance, with left-wing press outlets taking to calling him a "Maryland dad" to project sympathy. Is that all he is, though? Let's just say it's a bit more complicated. 

While Abrego-Garcia has been alleged to be an MS-13 member from the beginning of this story due to some very compelling evidence, more recently, it was revealed that his wife also took out multiple restraining orders against him after he allegedly beat her. Then there was a traffic stop in 2022 where the now-deported illegal immigrant was suspected of human trafficking. That's where this newly released body cam footage comes into play. 

Fox News Bill Melugin obtained the video from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. It shows police confronting Abrego-Garcia after he was pulled over while driving a convicted human smuggler's car. In the vehicle were eight other people, none of whom appeared to have any real connection with him. He was also carrying $1400 in cash, which the officers suspected was his payment.

BREAKING: @FoxNews has obtained the Tennessee Highway Patrol bodycam footage from when “Maryland Man” Kilmar Abrego Garcia was suspected of human trafficking during a traffic stop in 2022.

“He’s hauling these people for money,” a trooper says. https://t.co/GbCdtAEGBa

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 2, 2025

"How many rows have you got in here? Four seats? Four rows of seats?" a state trooper can be heard saying. "Did y'all put an extra one in? Huh? Did yall put another one in no? They come like this I've never seen one with that many seats in it."

"He's hauling these people for money," one state trooper said...

...In the video, a trooper said Abrego-Garcia was in possession of $1,400 in cash, saying it was probably his payment. A trooper also noted that Abrego-Garcia had an invalid Maryland driver's license.

State troopers who pulled over Abrego-Garcia said they suspected he was involved in human trafficking, according to body camera video. A state trooper can be heard saying "This is a good stop."

ICE, which was being run by the Biden administration at the time, never came and picked up Abrego-Garcia. Soon enough, he was back on the street.

Keep in mind that several Democrats just got back from El Salvador, where they demanded Abrego-Garcia's release. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) even had a sit-down with the suspected domestic abuser and human trafficker. But while their narrative relied on Abrego-Garcia being an innocent "Maryland dad," there is now ample evidence that he's anything but. This body cam footage only adds more fuel to the fire that is currently burning down the left-wing narrative surrounding this case. 

Democrats got way out over their skis here, and now they look like complete imbeciles. Did they really think the guy who was hanging with MS-13 members was going to turn out to be a saint? What a colossal political miscalculation.

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