I just can’t fathom how we got to a point that we can punish the people complying with ICE and afforded protected status.
No, Abrego Garcia was not a US citizen or permanent resident. He entered the country illegally at age 16 after fleeing gang activity. His family owned the most popular pupuseria in their town in El Salvador, and local gangs took notice and ran a protection racket. The family paid protection money to Barrio 18, but when they tried to violently recruit Abrego Garcia’s older brother, things took a turn. The gang kept harassing them, to the point they closed up shop, left town, and eventually were forced to Guatemala, where the gang continued to harass them.
His brother fled to the US first, was granted asylum, and eventually became an American citizen. Abrego Garcia was forced to flee when the gang turned its sights on him. He should have followed the same path to citizenship as his brother, but as fate would have it, he was arrested in an ICE sweep at a Home Depot while looking for work. While in jail, a police CI claimed he was an MS-13 member from NYC. Abrego Garcia has never lived in NYC, but he was photographed on a public basketball court with alleged gang members and at a Salvadoran restaurant frequented by gang members. Apparently that was enough to be denied release and eventually denied asylum. He was eventually released and a judge ruled he could not be forcefully removed to El Salvador for reasonable fear for his life based on being targeted by the gang. But he was issued a work permit and allowed to live in Maryland as a documented alien and he checked in regularly with ICE as per his release requirements.
So cliff’s notes—a police CI with a previously decent track record somehow misidentified Abrego Garcia as an MS-13 member, which cost him the same legal path to citizenship as his brother. He was allowed to stay and work in the country even after his asylum was denied, got married, had kids, worked legally, and checked in with Immigration regularly, but was still picked up by ICE in March after Trump branded MS-13 a terrorist org.
Essentially, following the rules and not being a criminal made him an easier target.