On Friday it was announced that Kilmar Abrego Garcia would be returning to the United States to face human smuggling charges, including of MS-13 gang members. However, if you only watched CBS Saturday Morning or NBC’s Today, you might come away with the impression that there were no gang members.
On Today, co-host Laura Jarrett brought back “Maryland man,” as she introduced White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell, “The Maryland man who was mistakenly deported and held for months at a notorious prison in El Salvador is back in the United States this morning, but not a free man. Now Kilmar Abrego Garcia is facing human smuggling charges.”
O’Donnell began, “This new twist effectively ends the legal drama over whether this Salvadoran man, who'd been living with his American family in Maryland, had been improperly deported by the administration. And it starts a separate journey where he is facing charges attached to immigrant smuggling. Kilmar Abrego Garcia made his first federal court appearance, and he is in custody in Tennessee this morning.”
During the previously recorded portion of her report, O’Donnell added, “Embroiled in an international deportation debate, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back in the U.S. After months in a notorious El Salvadoran prison. Now facing two federal charges, accused of smuggling undocumented migrants.”
She also reported how “The case stems from this 2022 Tennessee traffic stop where Abrego Garcia was driving with eight passengers. He was not cited then. Attorney General Pam Bondi said a new investigation led to charges while she alleged other crimes and gang affiliation not in the indictment.”
In a clip, Bondi was shown declaring that “He made over 100 trips. The grand jury found smuggling people throughout our country.”
As for O’Donnell’s statement about “gang affiliation not in the indictment,” it was not clear what she meant. The indictment clearly says Garcia “was also a member and associate of the transnational criminal organization, La Mara Salvatrucha, otherwise known and hereinafter referred to as MS-13."
It also alleges Garcia “used his status in MS-13 to further his criminal activity. Over the course of the conspiracy, the co-conspirators knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of whom were MS-13 members and associates.”
Meanwhile, CBS’s Taurean Small omitted the same details, “The Department of Justice is looking to throw the book at the Salvadoran native the Trump administration admitted to mistakenly deporting in March but refused to bring back until now. Kilmar Abrego Garcia back in the United States and in a Tennessee federal court on Friday. The removal of the Salvadoran native previously living in Maryland drew concerns over President Donald Trump's aggressive mass deportations.”
After some clips of Trump and Bondi, Small added, “A federal grand jury indicting Abrego Garcia last month on one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. The Trump administration pivoting on its previous refusal to bring him back despite his Supreme Court decision in April ordering his return.”
Why was it so hard for CBS Saturday Morning and Today to cover the MS-13 details? ABC’s Good Morning America managed to do it, as did their Friday evening show colleagues. The indictment also claims the reason why Garcia helped traffic drugs and abused women and therefore wasn’t exactly an upstanding “Maryland man” or “Maryland father.”
Here is a transcript for the June 7 shows:
NBC Today
6/7/2025
7:06 AM ET
LAURA JARRETT: The Maryland man who was mistakenly deported and held for months at a notorious prison in El Salvador is back in the United States this morning, but not a free man. Now Kilmar Abrego Garcia is facing human smuggling charges. President Trump praising that move. NBC Senior White House Correspondent Kelly O’Donnell is near the president's New Jersey estate with the latest. Kelly, good morning.
KELLY O’DONNEL: Good morning, Laura. This new twist effectively ends the legal drama over whether this Salvadoran man, who'd been living with his American family in Maryland, had been improperly deported by the administration. And it starts a separate journey where he is facing charges attached to immigrant smuggling. Kilmar Abrego Garcia made his first federal court appearance, and he is in custody in Tennessee this morning.
Embroiled in an international deportation debate, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back in the U.S. After months in a notorious El Salvadoran prison. Now facing two federal charges, accused of smuggling undocumented migrants. President Trump reacted to the politics of Abrego Garcia's return.
DONALD TRUMP: The Democrats who backed him, this was not the man from Maryland. This wonderful father from Maryland. This is a pretty bad guy.
O’DONNEL: The case stems from this 2022 Tennessee traffic stop where Abrego Garcia was driving with eight passengers. He was not cited then. Attorney General Pam Bondi said a new investigation led to charges while she alleged other crimes and gang affiliation not in the indictment.
PAM BONDI: He made over 100 trips. The grand jury found smuggling people throughout our country.
O’DONNELL: Abrego Garcia's family attorney.
CHRIS NEWMAN: They'll be forced to provide evidence to back up some of their allegations and fortunately Kilmar will have an opportunity to defend himself.
***
CBS Saturday Morning
6/7/2025
8:05 AM ET
TAUREAN SMALL: The Department of Justice is looking to throw the book at the Salvadoran native the Trump administration admitted to mistakenly deporting in March but refused to bring back until now.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia back in the United States and in a Tennessee federal court on Friday. The removal of the Salvadoran native previously living in Maryland drew concerns over President Donald Trump's aggressive mass deportations.
DONALD TRUMP: He's returned.
REPORTER: Did you have any conversations?
TRUMP: And he should have been returned. He should have never had to be returned. I mean you take a look at what's happened with him, you take a look at what they found in the grand jury and everywhere else.
SMALL: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announcing Friday he's now facing new charges.
PAM BONDI: The grand jury found that over the past nine years Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring.
SMALL: A federal grand jury indicting Abrego Garcia last month on one count of conspiracy to transport aliens and one count of unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. The Trump administration pivoting on its previous refusal to bring him back despite his Supreme Court decision in April ordering his return.
BONDI: This is what American justice looks like. Upon completion of his sentence we anticipate he will be returned to his home country of El Salvador.
TRUMP: Well, DOJ made a decision. I think their decisions have been very, very good. [jump cut] The man has a horrible past.
SMALL: Abrego Garcia's lawyer slamming in the indictment in a press call on Friday.
SIMON SANDOVAL-MOSHENBERG: What happened today is not the manner in which this would have been handled had Mr. Abrego Garcia never been improperly sent to El Salvador. What happened today is an abuse of power.
SMALL: Maryland Senator Chris Van Holland, who met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador in April, reacted to his return writing, in part, in a statement, quote, “this has never been about the man. It's about his constitutional rights and the rights of all.”
Abrego Garcia’s arraignment is set to happen next week. Dana.
