Tennessee authorities have released explosive bodycam footage from a 2022 traffic stop showing the moment state troopers apprehended—and were later forced to release—suspected MS-13 gang member and human trafficker Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, under direct orders from the Biden administration’s FBI.
The November 30, 2022 stop, conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), initially appeared routine—Abrego-Garcia was pulled over for speeding and swerving. But what troopers discovered sent red flags soaring.
Inside his red Chevrolet vehicle were eight male passengers, all reportedly illegal aliens, jammed together with no luggage. Abrego-Garcia, a known domestic abuser with two protective orders filed against him, carried $1,400 in cash, a fake Maryland driver’s license, and gave conflicting stories about his travel.
One trooper, clearly alarmed, can be heard in the footage stating: “He’s hauling these people for money.”
Even more damning, the vehicle was registered to Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, a convicted human trafficker who pleaded guilty in 2020 for smuggling illegals across the U.S.
FBI Interference: The Jaw-Dropping Turn
Rather than detaining Abrego-Garcia or alerting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold him, troopers turned to the FBI. Shockingly, the FBI ordered THP to release him. No explanation. No follow-up.
Abrego-Garcia—despite his known MS-13 ties, violent criminal history, and evidence of human smuggling—was let go and vanished into the U.S. interior for more than a year.
Only after extensive public scrutiny, federal pressure, and media exposure did authorities deport him in March 2025 to El Salvador’s Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT).
A Pattern of Violence Ignored
This wasn’t the first time Abrego-Garcia evaded justice. In 2019, he was arrested in Maryland with three men, all wearing gang insignia clothing and described by police as affiliated with MS-13 cliques. A confidential FBI informant later identified him as an MS-13 “Chequeo” (watchman) with the alias “Chele.”
He was also subject to two separate domestic violence protective orders filed by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, in 2020 and 2021. According to court documents, Garcia beat, threatened, and terrorized her—at one point telling her family that “even if he kills [her], nobody can do anything to him.”
Photos included with the filings documented broken TVs, a smashed windshield, destroyed electronics, and visible bruises on Vasquez’s body.
Federal Failure or Deliberate Policy?
The FBI’s decision to release Abrego-Garcia, combined with ICE’s stunning silence during the incident, raises serious concerns about federal enforcement under the Biden administration.
While the DOJ has labeled MS-13 a Foreign Terrorist Organization, its enforcement actions against known members like Garcia appear inconsistent at best—and intentionally lax at worst.
Public Demands Answers
With footage now available and outrage building, the Biden administration is under intense pressure to explain why a man with confirmed MS-13 ties, a violent record, and ties to a convicted trafficker was allowed to walk free—especially as President Trump continues to ramp up border security, immigration enforcement, and gang prosecutions during his second term.
The question remains: How many more Kilmar Abrego-Garcias are being allowed to roam free in American communities?
The American people deserve answers—and justice.