The Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tricia McLaughlin, expressed her frustration on social media regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s actions of “making TikToks” while the department is subjected to a “gag order by an activist judge.”
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported from the US by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shared a video of himself lip-syncing to the Spanish song “Himno de Victoria,” or “Hymn of Victory,” performed by Danny Berrios.
Taking to X, McLaughlin reposted a TikTok of Abrego Garcia lip-syncing the Spanish song. “So we, at @DHSgov, are under gag order by an activist judge and Kilmar Abrego Garcia is making TikToks. American justice ceases to function when its arbiters silence law enforcement and give megaphones to those who oppose our legal system,” the post read.
Also Read: Nick Shirley vs HasanAbi: YouTubers engage in war of words over viral daycare scam video, ‘you botched it for clickbait’
Abrego Garcia sings biblical song
The video of Abrego Garcia has gone viral, garnering million of views. The composition “Himno de Victoria” by Berrios is rooted in themes of faith, divine intervention, and triumph over adversity. As a Christian song, it honors the belief in God’s ability to guide believers through the most significant challenges of life and lead them to victory.
Who is Abrego Garcia? All we know about his case
Abrego Garcia was transferred to a notorious detention facility in El Salvador earlier this year, despite receiving legal protection from deportation by a judge in 2019 and having resided in Maryland for several years with his US citizen wife and child.
His situation has traversed various federal courts: the Supreme Court determined that his deportation was unlawful, and judges ruled during the summer that he should be released from custody and returned to Maryland.
Abrego Garcia faced allegations of being affiliated with the MS-13 gang from El Salvador, which is involved in human smuggling, and the administration of President Donald Trump has classified it as a foreign terrorist organization, despite his lack of a criminal record in the United States.
Although two judges, in separate decisions, concluded that he was a member of MS-13, Abrego Garcia was protected from deportation to his home country because he claimed he would be targeted by rival gang members while the investigation was ongoing.
In the most recent update regarding the case, a federal judge has canceled Abrego Garcia’s trial this week and has arranged a hearing to determine if the prosecution is acting vindictively in its pursuit of charges against him.
The judge indicated that there is sufficient evidence for Abrego Garcia to warrant a hearing on this matter, which is now set for January 28. During this hearing, prosecutors will be required to justify their decision to charge him. If they fail to do so, the charges may be dismissed.