Albrego Garcia - MS-13 - Alleged wife beating & Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes to testify

Abrego Garcia, born in San Salvador, El Salvador, in July 1995, fled rival gang violence in his home country.

He illegally crossed the border near McAllen, Texas, around 2011 or 2012.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland, was taken into ICE custody on Monday, August 25, 2025, following a check-in at the ICE Baltimore field office, despite a judge blocking his immediate deportation.

He faces federal criminal charges related to human smuggling, specifically conspiracy to unlawfully transport undocumented migrants for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.

Abrego Garcia is charged with two federal crimes: conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.

The indictment alleges he made over 100 smuggling trips over nearly a decade, transporting thousands of undocumented migrants, including children and fellow MS-13 members, and earning up to $100,000 annually.

The basis for the indictment includes a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee where he was driving with eight passengers.

The government has presented allegations of domestic violence and sexual abuse. His wife filed protection orders in 2020 and 2021, alleging he kicked, slapped, shoved her, verbally abused her and their children, locked them in their bedroom, and detained her against her will.

The indictment also includes allegations that he solicited nude photographs from a minor and abused women he transported, including minors.

As of August 25, 2025, Abrego Garcia is in the United States, facing a federal indictment for conspiracy to transport undocumented people and unlawful transportation of undocumented people, stemming from allegations of involvement in a human smuggling operation.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into ICE custody on Monday, August 25, 2025, during a scheduled immigration check-in at the Baltimore field office, shortly after being released from federal criminal detention.

José Ramón Hernández Reyes, has been released early from federal prison to a halfway house and has been granted permission to stay in the United States for at least a year, according to court records.

This decision was made by the Trump administration in exchange for his cooperation as a key witness in the federal prosecution of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Hernández Reyes, a three-time felon, was convicted of smuggling migrants and illegally reentering the U.S. after deportation, and also pleaded guilty to "deadly conduct" after drunkenly firing a gun in a Texas community.

Prosecutors have identified him as the "first cooperator" in the case against Abrego Garcia, and the Department of Homeland Security maintains that he owned the SUV Abrego Garcia was allegedly using during a 2022 traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, which is central to the smuggling investigation.