Court filings have confirmed that the illegal immigrant at the center of a heated deportation dispute had an official rank and nickname within the violent MS-13 gang.
The Trump administration maintains that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, apprehended in Maryland and later deported to El Salvador, was an active member of MS-13. His removal occurred despite an immigration judge’s order blocking deportation.
Newly disclosed records identify Abrego Garcia as having held the gang rank of “Chequeo” and going by the street name “Chele” within MS-13’s hierarchy.
MS-13—short for Mara Salvatrucha—originated in Los Angeles during the 1980s as a means of protecting Salvadoran immigrants from rival gangs. The Department of Justice has described the group as “well-organized and is heavily involved in lucrative illegal enterprises, being notorious for its use of violence to achieve its objectives.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi took to social media on Wednesday to share evidence tied to a 2019 incident in Maryland, where Abrego Garcia was found in the company of confirmed MS-13 members in a Home Depot parking lot.
A Hyattsville City Police Department report, citing a credible informant, identified Abrego Garcia as a known MS-13 associate affiliated with the gang’s Western cliques. The source confirmed his rank as “Chequeo” and his alias as “Chele.”
According to the report, law enforcement officers observed Abrego Garcia wearing clothing commonly linked with gang culture, including a Chicago Bulls cap and a sweatshirt featuring images of U.S. presidents with rolls of money covering their eyes, ears, and mouths.
“The meaning of the clothing is to represent ‘ver, oir y callar’ or ‘see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil,’” the report stated.
The document added that “Wearing the Chicago Bulls hat represents that they are a member in good standing with the MS-13.”
During a Wednesday press briefing where she also announced a lawsuit against the state of Maine, Bondi acknowledged that a procedural step had been skipped prior to the deportation. Nevertheless, she was adamant that Abrego Garcia would not be allowed to return.
“He is an illegal alien who has been living illegally in our country from El Salvador. ICE testified, an immigration judge ruled he was a member of MS-13. An appellate judge ruled he was a member of MS-13. Hard stop,” Bondi told reporters. “He should not be in our country.”
Also on Wednesday, the Trump administration pointed to prior domestic violence charges against Abrego Garcia, while pushing back on what it described as sympathetic coverage from the mainstream media and progressive lawmakers defending the deported individual.
{Matzav.com}