Fake or real? Trump's post justifying immigrant's deportation sparks row

US President Donald Trump kicked off a fresh controversy after he shared an image that he says proves Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang. In a photo posted from the Oval Office, Trump is seen holding a black-and-white picture of a tattooed hand—allegedly Garcia’s—with symbols the president claims spell out 'MS-13.'

The photo shows a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull tattooed across the knuckles. According to Trump, each symbol represents a letter: M, S, 1, and 3. "This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States," Trump wrote on Truth Social, justifying Garcia’s deportation.  The White House also shared the image with a caption: "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

However, Trump's critics aren't buying it—and many are accusing the White House of doctoring the image.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man, was deported from the US in March this year. He was arrested in 2019 and accused of being a gang member. Despite denying any connection to MS-13, two immigration judges, referencing sealed information, ruled against him. However, Garcia was protected from deportation under the grounds that returning to El Salvador would place him at risk from rival gangs.

That protection was seemingly overlooked last month when he was deported. The Trump administration initially admitted this was an “administrative error,” but later doubled down, insisting the deportation was justified.

His deportation sparked an outcry, prompting the US Supreme Court to unanimously rule that the administration must facilitate his return.  

MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, is one of the most violent and notorious gangs operating in the United States and Central America. According to the US Department of Justice, the gang formed in Los Angeles during the 1980s by Salvadoran immigrants fleeing civil war. It initially aimed to protect its members from other street gangs, but it rapidly evolved into a gang involved in drug trafficking, extortion, murder, and human trafficking.

But while MS-13 is undeniably dangerous, the problem lies in who gets labelled as a member. Tattoos and hearsay have often been enough for immigration judges to conclude gang affiliation—even without a criminal record. According to the Migration Policy Institute, most Central American migrants have no gang affiliation and are more often fleeing gang-related violence than causing it.

Soon after Trump posted the image, people on social media and even public officials began raising red flags. 

Critics pointed out that the image didn’t show the actual letters “MS-13,” which is what gang members typically use. Linda Higgins, a former Minnesota state senator, claimed that the image was digitally altered. “This is an excellent example of altering a photo,” said Higgins. “You look foolish.”

Notably, government lawyers never mentioned tattoos in court when arguing Garcia was a gang member. Their case instead rested on a 2019 tip from a confidential informant who said Garcia belonged to an MS-13 group in New York—though Garcia has never lived there.

Trump supporters pushed back, arguing that Garcia’s wife had been editing or hiding images of his tattoos. Conservative commentator Andy Ngo claimed she “strategically censored” his hand in a TikTok post promoting a GoFundMe campaign.

The US President initially denied knowing much about Garcia's case. But on Friday, he claimed he knew Garcia’s prison record was “unbelievably bad” and called him an “illegal alien” and a “foreign terrorist.”  Also Read: 'It's my job to get killers out,' Trump says as migrants fight deportation

Trump's Truth Social post came just hours after Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who visited Garcia in an El Salvador prison, addressed the press. In his briefing, Van Hollen said prison officials tried to stage the encounter to make Garcia appear comfortable and relaxed—going so far as to place salt-rimmed glasses on the table and suggest they meet near a pool.

He was refering to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's social media post, which showed him with Garcia. “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ [and] ‘torture,’ now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” Bukele's post read. 

Van Hollen said neither he nor Abrego Garcia drank from the glasses, which in the photo Bukele posted were garnished with cherries. “They want to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which of course is a big, fat lie,” he said, as reported by the Associated Press.

For now, Garcia remains in El Salvador, despite the US Supreme Court ruling that says the government must help him return. His legal team continues to fight for his reinstatement, while the White House continues to insist he’s a gang member who doesn’t deserve to come back.  Also Read: Trump's offer to illegal immigrants: Self-deport and get cash, flight   (With inputs from agencies)