For weeks, the Democrat Party and the mainstream media were working around the clock to make American citizens believe that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant who was deported to El Salvador, was simply a “Maryland man” who was wrongfully displaced from his home. Of course, that wasn’t the full story regarding this situation.

In fact, Garcia is an alleged member of the notorious MS-13 gang, and has been accused of human smuggling. The Left and their allies in the media ignored those facts and framed the situation as the Trump administration illegally removing a Maryland resident from his home and family.

There were even U.S. lawmakers, like Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who travelled to El Salvador to advocate for Garcia’s release. Actions like this showed that these politicians didn’t actually care about their constituents back home in America, but instead were focused on an illegal immigrant who had allegedly committed various heinous crimes.

The media of course was complicit as well, and they did their fair share of labelling Garcia as a “Maryland man” in order to have people sympathize with him. But now that the Trump administration has been transparent with this case and more information has been released, a new poll is showing that most Americans didn’t buy the lies they were fed from politicians and the mainstream media.

Public Opinion Shifts on Deported Salvadoran’s Case

A recent Harvard-Harris poll reveals that a significant majority of Americans—62 percent—suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant previously labeled a “Maryland man” by Democratic defenders, is likely tied to the notorious MS-13 gang. Only 38 percent of those surveyed believe Garcia should have been shielded from deportation, with 43 percent of Democrats acknowledging his potential gang affiliation.

Garcia’s case caused debate when Democrats in Congress and the media championed him as a “Maryland man” wrongfully sent back to El Salvador. Courts, however, had already linked Garcia to MS-13, a group the Trump administration classified as a foreign terrorist organization early in its term. Yet, despite this information, Democrat lawmakers and the press still continued pushing the narrative that Garcia was simply an innocent “Maryland man.”

The "Maryland Man" is coming back to the US, but not in the way Dems were hoping.

Saint Abrego Garcia will either be convicted of SERIOUS crimes or deported AGAIN.

There's no option C. where he's doing another round of margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen on U.S. soil. pic.twitter.com/FMINsY7sP1

— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) June 9, 2025

The poll results emerged just as Garcia returned to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges, appearing in a Nashville, Tennessee, courtroom on Friday. His legal troubles trace back to a 2022 traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, where officers found him driving several men without driver’s licenses or English proficiency. This d*mning information helped to destroy the idea that Garcia was some innocent man that the Left decided to prop up as martyr for their anti-deportation stance.

Body camera footage captured one officer’s suspicion: “He’s getting paid to haul these people, probably to Maryland, I would say.” Another noted, “Sometimes they come in with dope.” One officer pointed out an extra row of seats in Garcia’s vehicle that could be used for human smuggling.

WATCH:

BREAKING: We just got our hands on the bodycam footage of the “Maryland dad.” Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a suspect in a human trafficking operation in 2022. WATCH WHAT HAPPENED… pic.twitter.com/Cot5ZHTUGz

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) May 2, 2025

Despite his deportation to an El Salvador prison designated for terrorists and gang members, Garcia drew support from prominent Democrats. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) traveled to El Salvador to visit him, with Ivey mistakenly calling the Salvadoran national his constituent. Three other lawmakers—Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ)—also flew to El Salvador but were not allowed to meet with Garcia.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, seen here with his top advocate Senator Chris Van Hollen, was indicted last week for human trafficking. According to prosecutors, he allegedly smuggled drugs, weapons, and thousands of illegal immigrants and MS-13 gang affiliates into Maryland and other… pic.twitter.com/3Fkr4EtZRb

— Maryland Republican Party (@MDGOP) June 9, 2025

What are your thoughts on the Garcia case? Do you think he’s a member of the MS-13 gang, or simply a “Maryland man?” Let us know what you think by posting in the comments below!