Noem to Sen. Murphy: “Abrego Garcia Will Never Be in the U.S. Again — Terrorist, Human Smuggler, Wife Beater”; If He Comes Back, Immediate Deportation

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced extended questioning from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) in May 2025, with the most definitive statements yet on Kilmar Abrego Garcia. “Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and should never have been in this country and will not be coming back,” Noem said. “There is no scenario where Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again. If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again because he is a terrorist, a human smuggler, and a wife beater.” When Murphy pressed on whether the Supreme Court order required her to facilitate Garcia’s return, Noem maintained: “The Trump administration is complying with all court orders. He is a citizen of El Salvador — it is up to the president of El Salvador."

"No Scenario”

Murphy opened with an attempt to establish the legal framework.

“If someone is a legal permanent resident of the United States,” Murphy said. “Do you have the right to detain or deport that person simply for expressing their political opinion?”

Noem deflected to jurisdiction: “Department of State makes those decisions.”

Murphy pushed: “No, no — they don’t. You make that decision about who you have the right to detain or deport.”

Noem stated the position: “The Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration is enforcing the law following the constitutional rights of folks who are here as citizens, those who are here legally, and those who are here illegally.”

Murphy demanded a clearer answer: “Do you believe the U.S. government can detain and deport a legal permanent resident for expressing a political opinion that the administration disagrees with?”

Noem responded: “We have not detained or deported anybody who’s a legal permanent resident or citizen of the United States.”

Murphy persisted: “Just because you haven’t done it doesn’t mean that you want to in the future. Do you believe you have the ability to do that or not?”

Noem refused to engage the hypothetical: “We have not done that at all, and the Trump administration has no plans to.”

The exchange illustrated the Democratic strategy of trying to get administration officials to make absolute statements about hypothetical scenarios that could then be exploited politically. Noem’s refusal to commit to abstract principles — instead focusing on what the administration had actually done — was the correct response.

The Garcia Case

Murphy then pivoted to his real target: Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

“I assume you have read the Supreme Court decision in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia?” Murphy asked.

Noem confirmed: “Yes.”

Murphy framed the question: “That court decision requires the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from El Salvador. Can you describe the steps you have taken to facilitate this release, and specifically, can you answer as to whether you have reached out to your counterpart in El Salvador?”

Noem delivered the definitive statement: “Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and should never have been in this country and will not be coming back to this country.”

She continued: “There is no scenario where Abrego Garcia will be in the United States again.”

She identified the reasons: “If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again because he is a terrorist, he’s a human smuggler, and he is a wife beater.”

The three-part indictment — terrorist, human smuggler, wife beater — was the most concise summary of Garcia’s record. The terrorist designation referenced his confirmed MS-13 membership and the foreign terrorist organization classification of MS-13. The human smuggler designation referenced his 2022 Tennessee traffic stop with eight passengers and connection to convicted trafficker Jose Hernandez Reyes. The wife beater designation referenced the protective orders filed by his wife in 2020 and 2021.

The Supreme Court Question

Murphy attempted to press the constitutional question.

“Does the Supreme Court decision not require you to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia?” Murphy asked.

“The Trump administration is complying with all court orders and judges’ orders,” Noem said.

Murphy pressed: “Does the Supreme Court order require you to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia?”

Noem deflected: “He is a citizen of El Salvador — it is up to the president of El Salvador to make the decision on if he is coming back.”

She described the diplomatic record: “It’s been a big topic of conversation between all of us. When the president of El Salvador visited the United States, it was discussed and talked about there.”

She restated the principle: “Abrego Garcia is not a citizen of this country, and he is a dangerous individual who does not belong here.”

She delivered the final position: “If he were back in this country, we would immediately deport him.”

Murphy attempted to close with criticism: “The discussion ends when the Supreme Court rules 9-0 that you have to facilitate his release. The fact that you can’t even acknowledge the wording of the order which commands you to facilitate his release — you’ve advertised to this committee that you are going to willfully ignore the ruling. That is really chilling for the balance of powers.”

The administration’s legal position was more nuanced than Murphy’s framing suggested. The Supreme Court had ordered the administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s release from Salvadoran custody. The administration argued it had done so — Rubio had raised the issue with Bukele during the Salvadoran president’s White House visit. Bukele had declined to release Garcia. The administration could not force a sovereign foreign government to release a citizen of that country, particularly when the prisoner in question was a confirmed gang member.

The distinction between “facilitate” and “secure” was the legal crux. The Court had used the former word; it had not ordered the administration to “secure” Garcia’s release. The administration’s position was that it had made the request; Bukele’s decision was outside American jurisdiction.

The “Dangerous Individual” Framework

Noem’s repeated characterization of Garcia as “a dangerous individual who does not belong here” was the administration’s consistent framing throughout the controversy. It rejected the Democratic framing of Garcia as a “Maryland man” unjustly deported and insisted instead on his actual identity: a confirmed MS-13 member with documented criminal activity and domestic violence accusations.

The three labels — terrorist, human smuggler, wife beater — were each independently sufficient grounds for deportation. A terrorist could be deported under foreign terrorist organization designation. A human smuggler could be deported under criminal alien provisions. An accused domestic abuser could be deported if his immigration status was already unlawful. Garcia qualified on all three counts.

Key Takeaways

• Noem to Murphy: “Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador, will not be coming back. No scenario where he is in the United States again.”
• Three reasons cited: “He is a terrorist, a human smuggler, and a wife beater.”
• “If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again.”
• On Supreme Court order: “The Trump administration is complying with all court orders. It is up to the president of El Salvador.”
• Murphy criticized Noem for refusing to engage hypothetical questions about legal permanent residents; Noem refused to commit to abstract principles.