Kilmar Abrego Garcia Linked to Human Smuggling Case in Tennessee

Recent reports have linked Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran deported from the U.S. and alleged MS-13 member, to convicted human trafficker Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes. In 2022, Abrego Garcia was stopped by Tennessee police while driving a vehicle owned by Hernandez Reyes and transporting eight men with no luggage, raising suspicions of human smuggling. Court documents and Department of Homeland Security records confirm that Hernandez Reyes, the vehicle's owner, was previously convicted and imprisoned for human trafficking in 2020. Although a trooper suspected a trafficking operation and detained Abrego Garcia for driving without a valid license, federal authorities directed that he be released. The case has become a political flashpoint, with Democrats portraying Abrego Garcia as a wrongfully deported family man, while Republicans cite his alleged gang affiliations and criminal connections as grounds for his deportation. The new information strengthens concerns about Abrego Garcia's ties to organized smuggling networks.