Rep Jasmine Crockett claims Trump is bigger criminal than MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia

In an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Katie Phang Show,” the Texas representative was asked about Senator Chris Van Hollen’s efforts to reverse the deportation of Abrego Garcia, who she said is “a lot less criminal” than Trump.

“If Senator Van Hollen can get down there, if the president can get up here and get to the White House, then I don’t understand why we can’t get Abrego up out of there,” Crockett said.

“I mean, we know that they admitted that they were wrong. Now they’re trying to double back and say, well, he’s this terrible person and all this kind of stuff. But here’s the reality. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a lot less criminal than the person that’s sitting in the White House, because last time I checked, he doesn’t have any criminal convictions,” she continued.

Abrego Garcia was deported under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law the Trump administration has recently invoked to expedite the removal of illegal immigrants tied to foreign gangs after designating criminal cartels terrorist organizations. The Supreme Court has since blocked the use of that law for deportations pending ongoing cases and requested the administration facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the US, as the administration admitted to an administrative error in his removal.

That error consists of sending Abrego Garcia to El Salvador rather than deporting him to someplace else. He was already eligible for deporation. Abrego Garcia had said he didn't want to go back to El Salvador because he was afraid of gangs that had, in his youth, extorted his mother's business. However, prior to his deportation, he said he was not afraid to go back to El Salvador.

The notion of the administration facilitating the return of Abrego Garcia would necessitate the government of El Salvador releasing their citizen to the United States. El Salvador's President Nayib Buekele said he had no intention of sending Abrego Garcia back to the United States, where he has no legal status.

Despite the court’s request, both President Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele have defended the deportation, insisting Abrego Garcia is a national security threat. Abrego Garcia has tattoos on his hands that indicate he is a member of MS-13. He has been previously suspected of human trafficking, and in 2021, his wife contacted police to get an order of protection against him due to domestic violence.

Senator Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to advocate for his return but was informed by Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa that the country would not assist in returning him to the US.

Van Hollen also faced criticism for photographs showing him dining with Abrego Garcia at a restaurant in El Salvador during the visit. Bukele posted photos of Van Hollen alongside Abrego Garcia, writing on X, “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!"