A GoFundMe to help the family of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month, has raised more than $200,000.
Why It Matters
Abrego Garcia, 29, came to the U.S. illegally about 14 years ago, fleeing gang violence, his lawyers said. He later married a U.S. citizen and worked in construction to support her, their son and her two children from a previous relationship.
An immigration judge shielded him from deportation to El Salvador in 2019, ruling that he would likely face persecution there by local gangs. But despite the order, Abrego Garcia—who has no criminal record—was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 and sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, in El Salvador.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials admitted to “an administrative error” in deporting him, but Trump administration officials have argued against bringing him back, alleging he has ties to the MS-13 gang. His family and attorneys have denied any gang ties.
The Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., but the White House has said the decision does not force them to retrieve him.
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What To Know
The GoFundMe page was set up by National Day Laborer Organizing Network on behalf of Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura. Newsweek has contacted the organization for comment via email.
Vasquez Sura and her children “are now struggling emotionally and financially in his absence,” according to a post on the page.
“Their youngest child has been having uncontrollable outbursts due to the distress of his father’s absence. To comfort himself, he searches for Kilmar’s work clothes just to smell them. His daughter suffers from stress seizures, and has needed to carry emergency medicine. Jennifer can’t afford to take time off to care for her children. She is now their sole provider.”
The post added: “ICE is already trying to justify their actions by falsely labeling Kilmar a gang member—without any real evidence. But that’s not who Kilmar is. He’s a father, a husband, and a hardworking union member.”
Donations will cover the family’s living expenses and go towards efforts to reunite Abrego Garcia with his family, the post said.
What People Are Saying
Vasquez Sura is quoted on the page saying: “Kilmar is an excellent father. He has always been there for our three children and all of their needs. Two of them are on the autism spectrum (ages five and nine), and our third has epilepsy (age 10). Kilmar has been the main provider of our household and the love of my life for over seven years. Since our family has been separated, I have been devastated and confused. I lost my life partner, my children lost their father, and all of our family, neighbors, co-workers, and friends have been devastated due to this unjust family separation.”
She defended her husband after it emerged that she once filed for a protective order, telling Newsweek on Wednesday: “Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Fox News on Wednesday: “America is safer because he is gone. Maryland is safer because he is gone, and that woman that he is married to and that child he had with her, they are safer tonight because he is out of our country and sitting in El Salvador where he belongs.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “The Supreme Court ordered this administration to facilitate Kilmar’s release. Marylanders and people all across the nation are calling on the President to bring him home. Enough is enough.”
What Happens Next
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said Tuesday that she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. She has ordered daily status updates on what the administration is doing to return Abrego Garcia.