COOKEVILLE, TENN. (WTVF) — His story has been talked about around the world, but newly released video shows when Kilmar Abrego Garcia was stopped by the Tennessee Highway Patrol back in 2022.
It’s the same video officials with the Department of Homeland Security have said supports their claim that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13 and involved in human trafficking, but the incident ended without an arrest or any mention of human trafficking in the trooper’s report.
Abrego Garcia has been sitting in an El Salvador prison since he was deported last month, waiting on any word from the US about reversing course and bringing him back for a deportation hearing.
President Donald Trump has said he would listen to advice from his attorneys on handling a Supreme Court ruling that required the government to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia’s return, but his administration has said they have no plans to return Abrego Garcia.
Attorneys for Abrego Garcia said the father of three was deported without so much as a phone call or any due process.
Meanwhile, White House officials said their actions were justified partly because of Abrego Garcia’s tattoos on his hands they claim link him to the dangerous gang the Department of Justice has since designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
But the man we saw in the video did not have tattoos on his hands and appeared cordial with troopers as they struggled to understand one another through broken English.
“Nothing illegal,” the trooper asked.
“Nothing sir…nothing illegal,” Abrego Garcia responded.
Troopers explained that they stopped Abrego Garcia on Interstate 40 near Cookeville for traveling 10 miles over the speed limit.
Abrego Garcia appeared confused and said the speed limit was 70 mph, but he must have missed when it went back to 65 mph.
The trooper acknowledged that the speed limit does go back and forth, before asking Abrego Garcia to show his license and registration.
Abrego Garcia explained that his license had just expired, and that the SUV belonged to his boss. While Abrego Garcia searched for proof of insurance, the trooper noticed the vehicle was packed with as many as eight to 10 people.
“How many rows do you got back here? Four? Four rows of seats,” the trooper asked.
Abrego Garcia told the trooper he was traveling with his passengers for work and that they had just come from Missouri, on their way to Maryland.
Troopers were later heard saying Abrego Garcia told them he planned to return to Nashville the following week.
When more troopers arrived, they grew suspicious that Abrego Garcia may have been hauling undocumented people between state lines.
They pointed out that there was no luggage between any of the passengers for such a long trip and Abrego Garcia was carrying $1,400 in cash.
“You know what you got here right?” one trooper asked another.
“He’s hauling these people for money,” the trooper said.
Another trooper suggested the cash was, “probably his payment for hauling them.”
We know troopers contacted federal officials for guidance, even though much of that audio has been redacted. The same is true for the “police event” report troopers filed from the traffic stop.
The redactions are commonly done to avoid sensitive information from being shared.
Federal officials told troopers that there was no need to arrest Abrego Garcia, who at the time was afforded “withholding of removal” protective status after a judge declared in 2019, he couldn't be deported back to the country where he received death threats for not joining a gang.
Abrego Garcia made his way into the country through the Southern border years prior, but has since married and has three children in Maryland.
In the video, we see troopers debating what to do, knowing they would also have to account for the eight to 10 other passengers.
“If he gets arrested, you’re not going to have any choice but to dump them out on the side of the interstate,” one trooper said.
There’s no audio for almost all of the next 13 minutes while troopers discussed options, but after a drug-sniffing dog found nothing suspicious, troopers wrote down the names of passengers and sent Abrego Garcia off with a warning.
