Newly released communications show the lengths the Trump administration went to in order to label Kilmar Abrego Garcia an MS-13 leader.
Emails provided to Congress by a whistleblower and 15-year veteran of the Justice Department reveal that administration officials went to striking lengths to prop up the claim that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a “leader” of the MS-13 gang—even as President Trump was coming under intense pressure to return him from El Salvador after wrongfully deporting him.
The emails—which The New Republic obtained in advance of their scheduled release Thursday—deepen our understanding of the adminisration’s extraordinary mishandling of Abrego Garcia’s case. They show in fresh detail how officials sought to create the impression that Abrego Garcia was a dangerous criminal before having any evidence to back up the claim, which has since proven to be unsupported.
The emails were provided to Congress by Erez Reuveni, a 15-year veteran of the Justice Department who was fired this spring after expressing doubts in court about the rendition of Abrego Garcia to CECOT, El Salvador’s notorious megaprison. Abrego Garcia—who had been living in Maryland under a form of protected status granted by an immigration judge in 2019—was deported on March 15 due to an admitted “error.”
But Trump refused to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States for months—even defying a Supreme Court order to “facilitate” his return—and justified all this largely by citing his supposed MS-13 status. The administration finally brought him back in early June, only to bring new criminal charges against him for smuggling migrants.
https://newrepublic.com/article/197793/kilmar-abrego-garcia-whistleblower-emails-expose-trump-abuses
On June 24, Reuveni filed a whistleblower complaint to the Justice Department’s inspector general and to the Senate and House judiciary committees, alleging extensive misconduct inside DOJ. The complaint’s most explosive, widely covered charge was that a top DOJ leader, Emil Bove, told officials that in deporting migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, they may have to ignore court orders stopping the removals and tell the courts “fuck you.”
But the whistleblower complaint also detailed internal deliberations over Abrego Garcia’s case, and this part is also damning. The newly released emails—submitted by Reuveni’s attorneys to Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, in response to Durbin’s queries—sharpen our knowledge of this part of the story.
For instance, one key exchange occurred on March 31, when the government was submitting a brief in litigation over Abrego Garcia’s fate. Up to this point, the emails show, ICE had declared Abrego Garcia was in MS-13, and officials were scrambling to pin down the basis for that determination.
In the March 31 exchange, James Percival, senior counselor to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, was debating with other top officials—at DHS, DOJ, and State—what could be said to the court about Abrego Garcia. One of those officials was Reuveni.
“Can we say the following?” Percival asked, then listed several things he’d like the administration to say about Abrego Garcia, one being: “This guy is a leader of MS-13.”
“If we can get a declaration to that effect, yes,” Reuveni answered. This meant the assertion could not be made without a facts-and-evidence-based declaration from ICE on Abrego Garcia’s status.
In other words, top DHS officials apparently were pushing to characterize Abrego Garcia as an MS-13 “leader” before any evidence of this had appeared. And Reuveni expressly warned against doing this absent such evidence.
Subsequently in that chain, an ICE official (whose name is redacted) answered Percival’s question about whether it’s OK to call Abrego Garcia an MS-13 “leader.”
“I have not found anything indicating ‘leader,’ but I’ll keep looking,” the ICE official wrote, meaning that the hunt for such evidence would continue.
It never materialized. That ICE official did identify Abrego Garcia as a “verified member” of MS-13, based on a formal declaration which at this point had been provided by ICE.
But this too would ultimately prove to be lacking in evidence. That claim was based on a ruling by a judge early in the 2019 proceedings to deport him (resulting in him receiving protected status) after he’d been arrested in Maryland the first time and transferred to ICE.
But that ruling rested on “double hearsay,” on paperwork filed by a Maryland cop after Abrego Garcia’s 2019 arrest that cited an unnamed confidential source, and neither the cop nor the source were cross-examined. The cop was subsequently suspended and indicted for serious professional misconduct on an unrelated case.
None of this stopped top administration officials and Trump himself from continuing to recklessly call Abrego Garcia a gang member and a terrorist too many times to count. Vice President JD Vance even described Abrego Garcia as a “high-level gang member in MS-13,” long after these internal emails showed the administration knew it had no evidence for the “leader” claim.
Here’s Percival’s original email, courtesy of a document supplied by Durbin’s office:
Better visit the article as it's full of screenshots of emails.
>>1419111 (OP)Reminder the Trump admin is literally letting someone who ACTUALLY smuggled migrants, in addition to a drunkenly shooting at people, get out of prison and not be deported so he'll testify against Garcia. Even though even in their own narrative, Garcia was smuggling people FOR HIM.
>>1419111 (OP)So how many people at this point have either quit or were fired because they refused to go along with these bullshit charges now?
>>1419120And they let in a bunch of known cartel leader families.
>Less deportations than Obama
>War with Iran
>Still funding Ukraine
>There never was a list guys!
>First administration to pass hate speech laws
You voted for this, MAGAtards. Here's your 'Fell For It Again' award.
>in addition to a drunkenly shooting at people
Do MAGA retards literally just make up new crimes every time they talk about Abrego Garica?
>>1419126Actually, that's talking about the guy they let out to testify against Abrego Garcia. He was an actual migrant smuggler who also got busted for getting drunk and recklessly shooting a gun around in Texas.
He was in prison and set to be deported. The Trump admin released him to a halfway house and is letting him stay in the US all so he can give his bullshit "testimony" that "yeah Garcia was totally smuggling immigrants all the time and I'm definitely not saying this because they offered me immunity and release if I did."
My belly is as big as Randy's. I'm a tranny and I pretend I'm pregnant
>>1419128Gotta love MAGAfags cheering on Trump releasing an actual criminal just so he doesn't have to admit he was wrong about trying to disappear an innocent man
>>1419134>innocentHe wife testified that he beat her and abused their kids.
Democrats are losing because you keep simping for bad people
>>1419135>chuds are openly defending roasties now because of Orange ManHuh, never thought I'd see the day
>>1419135She literally was at the forefront demanding his release and repeatedly stated that wasn't true. They had a rough patch and she was afraid from a previous abusive relationship, that was all.
But hey, keep telling us how this guy is a smuggler deserving of disappearing to a prison camp while you release an ACTUAL CONVICTED ONE to prove it.
>>1419135A cop said that she said that. A cop also said that a mysteriously uncontactable informant said he was MS13.
The guy they released says he drove about 120 hours a week for the cartel in a different timezone than where all of his known whereabouts were in that time period.
>>1419125>You voted for this, MAGAtards. Here's your 'Fell For It Again' award.Stop trying to take our guns and we'll stop voting for people like this.
>>1419147>Stop trying to take our guns and we'll stop voting for people like this.Stop voting for people like this and maybe we'll stop thinking you're too dumb to be trusted with guns.
>>1419147kamala harris was not going to take your guns. joe biden did not take your guns. if you're worried about government overreach and surevilance, you should not have voted for trump.
>>1419147The second one of you retards invoke the 2nd amendment against an ICE raid Trump will crack down on it and there will be nothing to stop him. This is the future you've created for yourself you fucking retard.
Democrats really don't want this violent gang member held accountable
>>1419151>joe biden did not take your gunsBiden threatened to bomb US citizens who suggested that they would resist totalitarian 'assault weapon' bans.
More worryingly, he also created a literal Department of Truth, raided the homes of the Press that obtained Ashley Biden's diary, and had a bunch of intelligence officials unilaterally say the Hunter Laptop was russian disinfo *even while he wasn't in office*
>muh fascism>muh racismDickheads.
>>1419150>and maybe we'll stop thinking you're too dumb to be trusted with guns.Because you guys demonstrated so much expertise in 2020?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/shots-fired-as-three-percenter-and-not-fucking-around-coalition-militias-face-off-in-louisville-kentucky/
>Louisville police confirmed three people were injured when a gun discharged as members of the “Not Fucking Around Coalition,” an all-Black militia, gathered in Baxter Park shortly before 1 p.m.lol
>>1419151>kamala harris was not going to take your guns.>Ran on a platform to take your guns.>joe biden did not take your guns.>Ran on a platform to take your guns.>strengthened red flag laws specifically designed to take your guns.>if you're worried about government overreach and surevilance, you should not have voted for trump.>big beautiful bill included removing the NFA for suppressors and SBRs.>random dem fucked it up on some bullshitHow 'bout no?
>The second one of you retards invoke the 2nd amendment against an ICE raid Trump will crack down on it and there will be nothing to stop him.Like you retards did here
>>1418751>>1419156>please take firearms training and limit the amount of guns you purchase>THIS IS SOCIALISM,Yeah, and?
Keep putting retards on the ballot that run on an AWB platform. I'll keep not voting for them.
>>1419158>Biden threatened to bomb US citizens who suggested that they would resist totalitarian 'assault weapon' bans.No, they were suggesting trying to overthrow the government to keep their guns.
> had a bunch of intelligence officials unilaterally say the Hunter Laptop was russian disinfo *even while he wasn't in office*It was and that's why it was never entered into evidence in any capacity. The chain of custody on that thing is so fucked it could be 100% real and still completely legally invalid.
>>1419162>No, they were suggesting trying to overthrow the government to keep their guns.NTA, did you even bother to read what you typed before you posted it? What do you think the 2nd amendment is for?
>>1419164to let mentally ill people shoot up schools of course
>>1419164The government can fight back against insurgents. Just because you can have firearms does not mean you can use them however you want.
>>1419156>and also only use undersized mags that cost more>actually no external mags at all>also here's some arbitrary features you can't have>and these ones>also this thing millions of existing guns have, no grandfathering if we can help it>also here's a list of acceptable manufacturers, anything not on this list isn't allowed>and we get to violate the 4th ammendment on a hunch if you have a gun>also we'll just be taking those on the testimony of any random person, no penalty for perjury, no right to face your accuser or argue your case, maybe you can get them back in a month if we don't delay your hearing>and you won't get anything in return everRepeal the NFA first, then we'll talk.
>>1419172>Biden: “If you wanted or if you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons."If the government starts going door to door collecting firearms en masse, like Biden suggested he'd do, then they're going to need a lot more than a few F-15s. Hell, according to the left we almost overthrew the government with some flag poles and bear spray on Jan 6th. Which is it? Is the government so unstoppable we need nukes - and therefore there was no credible threat at the Capitol, or that mob of boomers was an actual threat and the government can be defeated by a majority of unarmed people?
>>1419175>almost overthrew the governmentno, you just acted like fucking retards who threw a tantrum and shit on the floor. it's referred to as a failed coup, emphasis on the 'failed' part
>>1419177How can it be a coup attempt if the government was never in any danger?
>>1419161People like you are the same retards who called seat belts communism. Any kind of need for moderation and safety you people selfishly skew as a personal affront on your rights.
>>1419178how can you pretend to be american and get made fun of it every single day
>>1419178how can you pretend to be american and get made fun of for it every single day
>>1419186i await your next typo, i'll point it out for you since you never notice them
>>1419179The thing is, it's never ever enough. Do you understand how eroded gun rights already are, before we even get into individual states? Yesterday's common sense is today's dangerous gun owning whackjob. You take and take and take and take and take and once in a while a court orders you to stop taking. Your idea of a compromise is that you'll only take some now and work on the rest later. There's a federal law right now that makes it so that a small rifle that was made that way to begin with is perfectly legal, but a small rifle that was altered to be that way is a felony that will send you to assrape prison for a decade, even though they are identical guns with identical parts and identical performance and all parts on both of them are legal to own and install (except if you're replacing a long barrel with a short one). The gun laws we already have are both fucked and only enforced against legal gun owners who failed to navigate them correctly. Fucking gangbangers who turn their glocks into machine guns and then use them to shoot at each other are allowed to walk while normal gun owners are no-knock raided because the atf issued an opinion that some random thing they have is illegal now despite there not being any legislation or court ruling that says so.
>>1419188you do know there are 120 guns per 100 americans, right. you can stop playing victim
>>1419189Yeah, and unless you're a boomer or rich investor, the ones you can buy are heavily neutered. Depending on the state they might be even more neutered and also only allowed to be from specific sources. Give something back if you want to compromise.
>>1419179>People like you are the same retards who called seat belts communism.Sure Anon, whatever you say. Imma get to why your analogy sucks in a minute.
>Any kind of need for moderation and safety you people selfishly skew as a personal affront on your rights.1) I don't remember seeing an amendment for seat belts.
and
2) You might've had a point if your fucking gun control measures gave us any extra "safety", instead of just being a lousy feel-good measure that only affects the people already following the law. There's a reason why criminals don't get their guns from gun stores. Just like there's a reason why 94% of mass shootings occur inside the same gun free zones you advocate for. And just like how you let straw purchasers get off with slap on the wrists (i.e. a woman in Chicago who supplied guns to four felons and only got probation) instead of dropping the hammer on repeat offenders.
But yeah throwing the potato chip CEO in jail for registering his "assault weapons" in California - following the fucking law you monkeys passed - was totally contributing to our "moderation and safety". Get fucked, commie.
>>1419190well maybe the gun rights voters should vote for people who aren't grifters who keep them poor
>>1419189>he just realized there are some gun owners that own more than one gunYou do know most people only have two hands, right?
>>1419193one of the largest countries in the world having more guns than people is a baffling anomaly, and yet you're still whining about needing more "gun rights". the way it really sounds, though, you're just asking for the right to not be working class anymore so you can actually afford guns. republicans do not abide
I wonder how many people in blue states are getting fucked by their own gun laws this time around. Last time Dump was in office a ton of them thought they'd just waltz in and leave the same day with a fully functional AR only to be hit by unpassable background checks, excessive waiting periods, and arbitrary feature bans that left them with un-ergonomic, fixed magazine mockery rifles.
>>1419187You confuse me for other people all the time, what would it matter?
>>1419195The gun discussion is really making you fucking seethe.
>>1419191Hey retard, countries with gun laws don't have bi-monthly school shootings.
>>1419194I'd like to be able to buy something my grandfather was allowed to have. I'd like to not be subject to legal landmines like the recent magazine size limit that my state passed which required me to get rid of my standard sized mags and try to source itty bitty baby mags that cost the same but are in much smaller supply and are a lot more annoying to use. I'd like it if the ATF couldn't issue opinions that have the same weight as law but none of the oversight or counter arguments that laws are required to have.
>>1419196just because you're in a constant daze doesn't make me confused shill
>>1419194>one of the largest countries in the world having more guns than people is a baffling anomaly, and yet you're still whining about needing more "gun rights".The problem isn't being allowed to own 10 hunting rifles. The problem is going to jail for 10 years for putting a $5 plastic stock on a rifle for my own comfort. The problem is people like you (assuming you're American) electing politicians that now made it possible - and easy - to confiscate firearms from an individual without any due process. And the problem is how my ass might get lit up by an active shooter because I can carry a pistol concealed inside a grocery store, theater, mall, etc. but somehow I can't be trusted to carry on a college campus.
> the way it really sounds, though, you're just asking for the right to not be working class anymore I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about.
>>1419197>Hey retard, countries with gun laws don't have bi-monthly school shootings.And other countries don't have the third largest population on the planet. Despite that we're like #20 in gun violence last I checked. Also did you miss the part where I said 94% of mass shootings occur inside gun free zones?
>>1419178An attempt is an attempt.
>>1419162> they were suggesting trying to overthrow the government to keep their gunsThe entire point of the 2A is to protect the people from being prosecuted by the government for owning firearms.
If the government is literally disobeying it's own constitution, then that's tyranny. Biden was threatening US citizens with bombs for rightfully telling him to fuck off.
>It was and that's why it was never entered into evidence in any capacity.The laptop is real. The FBI investigated the laptop and concluded it was genuine and not tampered with. Biden pulled some strings at the CIA to discredit the laptop so it wouldn't hurt his chances at winning the 2020 election.
>>1419202If a toddler kicks you in the shins do you charge them with attempted murder?
>>1419198>>1419200>my gun can't have all my favorite bells and whistles so i'll just destroy america by voting for a gigantic retard who will also take away my gun rightswords can't begin to describe how comical your lives are. well, since i have to live with you i guess i can at least laugh
>>1419206you don't give a fuck about rights if you voted trump, that much is evident. someone on your side in this thread is now spouting hunter laptop memes so i doubt you're even american
>>1419207I didn't vote for Trump, and I also want my gun rights to be less infringed upon. Now what?
>>1419204republicans are toddlers in this metaphor of yours?
If anything, this administration has shown exactly why you should want all of your gun rights. They're literally disappearing people using masked thugs already. "It can't happen here, give up all guns!" was already a retarded statement, but now? Now you've got absolutely no legs to stand on.
>but they have tanks
So what?
>>1419210facebook seems more appropriate for you, shill
>>1419211>They're literally disappearing people using masked thugs alreadyBetter than masked antifa thugs killing innocents in the streets
>>1419211it'll be interesting when the democrats become pro-gun due to the current tyrannical government and republicans have to do another about face and say they never cared about 2A
>>1419209If that's what you need to answer my question then sure. Attempt or not, there was no legitimate threat to the government on Jan 6th. And yet everyone of you fucking people calls it an insurrection.
So what Biden correct or not? It's a simple binary choice.
>>1419217it's called a failed insurrection. if republicans (toddlers is a great description by the way) attempt and fail to kidnap the vice president, it's still an insurrection even though it failed. also you're literally not american. what's the suicide rate for shills?
>>1419217>Attempt or not, there was no legitimate threat to the government on Jan 6thAttempting to kill/kidnap the house and vice president during the certification of a presidential election doesn't count as a threat? You are aware the only reason things didn't reach that point was because security had to barricade them inside a room and had to shoot the first person who tried to break it?
>>1419218And the overwhelming majority of those people there, per the FBI, did not have plans to kidnap anyone. But nonetheless, lets say that they did. These toddlers got to every congressman, the vice president, every supreme court justice, blah blah blah. What then? They couldn't just threaten to kill everyone unless Trump becomes president, that would be under duress and would not be recognized as legal by any other country - not to mention everyone else in the nation would reject such a method. Worst case, everyone of them could have been killed and the election would still go to the next democrat in line.
So the institution of the government was never under any legitimate threat. There was no risk of it collapsing. Yes?
>>1419219So was the fucking government at risk from the mob then?
>>1419220you're just making things up, and frankly i don't give enough of a fuck to partake
>>1419220So by your logic, if someone were to blow up the entire congressional building mid-meeting, killing everyone inside, there would be no threat to the institution?
You're fucking delusional jesus christ.
>>1419223he's just a shill who gets paid to sling as much shit as possible
>>1419221>Well you see if we just killed a bunch of elected representatives the system is still there so it's basically a non-issueThis really the cope you're going with?
>>1419222>translation: I can't answergg
>>1419223>>1419225So the government was at risk of collapsing from one day of an angry mob of geriatrics armed with sticks, yes?
>>1419228So the government was at risk of collapsing from one day of an angry mob of geriatrics armed with sticks, yes? It's amazing how quiet it got. How nobody can answer this simple question all of the sudden.
>>1419230it's amazing how you're a faggot and i would kill myself if i were you. stop posting and get a real job
>>1419232Maybe you should get a job that would give you enough money to afford a shift key, ESL.
esl shill is projecting again. i see he prefers to be called ESL shill though
>>1419111 (OP)Shocker. Isn’t that just standard ICE procedure? Arrest first, evidence second?
>>1419147>guns were never mentioned in this thread>but since they have because of >>1419147 , let's add this:>Less deportations than Obama>War with Iran>Still funding Ukraine>There never was a list guys!>First administration to pass hate speech laws>This administration doing nothing about 15 states where 'ghost guns' have to be registered & with serial numbers or are illegal. 'Ghost Guns' are illegal in all other 35 statesYou either agree with this administration not doing anything about the latter or you're the gun schizo, therefore all your opinions are invalid & go into the trash. Choose wisely. As for the others mentioned above, you still voted for them, MAGAtards. Here's your 'Fell For It Again' award.
>>1419245>guns were never mentioned in this threadI'm sorry, I didn't know this was your thread only and that it was only okay for you to dump a bunch of random topics that have fuck-all to do with the OP.
>This administration doing nothing about 15 states where 'ghost guns' have to be registered & with serial numbers or are illegal. 'Ghost Guns' are illegal in all other 35 statesYou must've missed the part earlier where I brought up the president trying to get rid of silencers/sbrs from the NFA - only for some nobody-democrat to come out of left field with a legal bullshit argument that fucked the entire thing up. Forcing Trump to either redo the entire bill from step 1 or push it through and give us a small 2A victory.
You people fucked that up. Not him. In a perfect world democrats wouldn't exist and there would be no NFA.
>You either agree with this administration not doing anything about the latter or you're the gun schizoNo, I don't agree with you because you crab motherfuckers are the one's pulling us down. Come next election there will probably be a democrat in office that will raise the cost of tax stamps from $200 to $200,000 using the same bullshit argument MacDonough used.
>democrats blaming trump for the awful shit dems do>many such cases
>>1419252>"hey don't derail the thread!">proceeds to derail the thread morehow are you this much of a faggot? it seems incomprehensible. you were bullied a lot weren't you
>>1419252>dumps a random topic that has fuck all to do with the OP: gunsI'm sorry, I didn't know this was your thread only and that it was only okay for you to dump a random topic that have fuck-all to do with the OP.
In Soviet America, hypocrite crabs pull down you.
>>1419256with the shill, all roads lead to either trannies or guns.
>>1419260you're literally not american and will cry about it now
>after Texas floods, before then 'I didn't vote for this', and before that Republicans financially suffering since 20th January 2025
>so many Republicans will get their revenge in the midterms next year, thus MAGAt cultists will be eating crow flavored lame duck a l'orange
Now someone explain to me how schadenfreude will upset me
>>1419265Schadenfreude makes any & all drugs obsolete. But then, I never needed any 'drug' in the first place. The fact you needed to reply gives me another shot of schadenfreude, at how upset you are.
>>1419260>>1419265You're on drugs, anons. Find a crack den, you two
>>1419266OK then, maybe I've gone the wrong way.
How about, "Take your fucking meds" you fukkin weirdo
>>1419269you've definitely gone the wrong way, shill. stop posting forever and get a real job
>>1419269>I've gone the wrong way.>medsI've never needed them, either. Schadenfreude is superior to what you pathetically ask others to take. Again, thanks for the extra boost of schadenfreude with this & all other replies because you're upset. Seems that those who are upset are subnormal: weirdos.
>>1419271Imagine invading 4chinks and calling others shills.
Imagine being a shill that isn't a white American invading a board owned by someone who isn't a white American, and accusing others of being shills.
I can't imagine that, as I'm a white American who isn't a shill.
>>1419128I think that anecdote accurately sums up the Trump administration; protecting and letting actual criminals run wild to fuck over working class people, and conservatives will cheer for it.
>>1419147The NRA runs that bullshit line every time a dem is in power to fuel gun sales. I remember when Obama was in power and everyone rushed to go buy AK47’s because they were going to be banned, even though it was only a partial ban on ones manufactured in Russia.
>>1419136Please never post on this website again
>>1419137>They had a rough patchShe was being abused and is covering it
>>1419670She was literally heading the efforts to bring him back to the US you fucking retard.
>>1419664>dem gets into office promising to ban guns>people rush to purchase guns before they're banned>"lol why you listening to the NRA?"I really feel like I shouldn't have to explain basic economics like supply and demand, and how if you threaten the supply of X it's demand will naturally go up.
>>1419712She can't get child support if he isn't in the US
>>1419740Funny how they haven't actually banned guns and even the proposals only affect a limited amount of them.
>>1419970>try to ban guns federally>face heavy resistance by politicians and lawmakers>still able to push through anti-gun measures like red flag laws>push even far more draconian bullshit in blue states like mag limits, "safety corridors" or requiring a gun license and then doxxing everyone who owns one>throw people in jail for following your new gun laws>SEE! SEE! WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY BANNING GUNS! WE'RE JUST MAKING IT UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT AND LIMITING WHAT YOU CAN OWN!Nobody falls for this shit but you.