Tennessee authorities have released body-camera footage of a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland construction worker whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador has made him a flashpoint in the U.S. immigration debate.
The video shows a calm encounter between Tennessee Highway Patrol officers and Abrego Garcia, who had been pulled over for speeding while transporting eight passengers in a van. Abrego Garcia told officers they had been working in Missouri and were heading to Maryland.
While the stop remained cordial, the officers privately expressed suspicions of human trafficking, noting the lack of luggage and an envelope containing $1,400. “He’s hauling these people for money,” one officer is heard saying. However, no charges were filed, and Abrego Garcia was let off with a warning for an expired driver’s license.
A Homeland Security report released last month confirmed he was moving workers for construction jobs and had not committed any crimes. Despite this, the Trump administration has repeatedly highlighted his police encounters in defense of its immigration enforcement, even as a federal court weigh calls for his return to the U.S.
The newly released footage adds another layer to the contentious case, which has drawn attention from immigrant rights advocates and lawmakers alike.
