Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday spoke bluntly about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who remains in custody after a judge halted his deportation to Uganda earlier in the day.
“This man is a suspected terrorist known to affiliate and be friends with MS-13 members,” Noem said on Newsmax TV’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” “He’s an extremely dangerous individual. A known wife-beater. This is someone that should never be free in the United States of America, and bringing him to justice is incredibly important to the safety of the American people.”
A federal judge on Monday ordered that Abrego Garcia remain at a Virginia detention facility to ensure access to legal counsel. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized the decision, attributing his continued presence in the United States to what she described as activist judges and liberal influence.
They “have gone to the mat defending this terrorist and individual who is out there partnering with other criminals to break the law and to create criminal activities against vulnerable Americans,” Noem said. “They have stood with him and fought for him just to oppose President Trump. I am just shocked every single day by the amount of… extreme liberals who… stand with him because of their opposition to this administration.”
She added that it is her hope Abrego Garcia remain in custody until he can be brought to justice. “He’s off the streets today… which means the American people are safe,” Noem said. “But we are really hoping that he will continue to face penalties for what he has done.
“We’ll continue to use every piece of tool in the toolbox that we have to continue to make sure that he isn’t here in this country, endangering individuals who are citizens of the United States,” she added.
“This is no Maryland father, no Maryland man,” Noem said. “This is not the average typical person that Democrats and elected officials have said. He is a terrorist. He is a wife-beater. He is someone who trafficked individuals and even solicited minors for nude pictures and for pornography. He’s a horrible individual who needs to be held accountable for his crimes.”
