Biden’s DHS Reportedly Declined to ‘Respond to the Scene’ of 2022 Kilmar Abrego Garcia Traffic Stop in Tennessee
Biden’s DHS Reportedly Declined to ‘Respond to the Scene’ of 2022 Kilmar Abrego Garcia Traffic Stop in Tennessee
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), then led by former Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas under the Biden administration, reportedly declined to “respond to the scene” in late 2022, when law enforcement stopped a vehicle driven by Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national deported last month by the Trump administration.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) told The Tennessee Star last week that officers with the agency detained Abrego Garcia for nearly two hours. During that time, he presented an expired, Maryland driver’s license that permits illegal immigrants to drive within the state, and was discovered to be transporting eight passengers.
THP told The Star, “Per standard protocol, the THP contacted federal law enforcement authorities with the Biden-era FBI—the agency of jurisdiction—who made the decision not to detain him.”
While THP only named the FBI in its statement to The Star, it was reported by WKRN News 2 last week that the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security (TDOSHS) claimed DHS was contacted during the stop.
“Tennessee’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security told News 2 that the stop was lawful, adding that troopers reached out to federal authorities after seeing some information in a database,” the outlet reported, adding that “the DHS ‘opted not to respond to the scene.’”
The Star contacted THP and DHS to seek clarification about the role of DHS in the stop, but did not receive a response prior to press time.
Reporting that DHS was involved in the stop comes as the agency released a document and statement regarding Abrego Garcia, which both confirmed earlier reporting by The Star indicating THP suspected he was engaged in human trafficking, and divulged new details about the stop, including that Abrego Garcia was traveling from Houston, Texas, to Temple Hills, Maryland, in a vehicle he claimed to be owned by his boss at a construction company.
It also revealed Abrego Garcia inexplicably added more than 300 miles and seven hours of driving to his trip by stopping in St. Louis, Missouri, which is not a direct route from Texas to Maryland. His route crossed multiple cities with known human trafficking issues or the presence of MS-13 gang members.
While DHS and THP have provided confirmation of the stop and details about its circumstances, the FBI has yet to respond to a press inquiry from The Star on this subject and has not confirmed its role in the stop.
The Star has filed Open Records Requests with TDOSHS seeking THP documents related to the stop, including footage from dashboard and body-worn cameras.
Deemed likely to be a member of the Central American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by two judges, Abrego Garcia has denied this claim, which in 2019 led an immigration judge to grant a “withholding of removal” order which prohibited his deportation to El Salvador, but not a third country. Abrego Garcia reportedly admitted to illegally entering the United States in March 2012.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to pappert.tom@proton.me.
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