The wife of a 29-year-old Maryland man who was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador last month filed a protective order against him back in 2021 over allegations of domestic violence, according to court records obtained by CBS News Wednesday.
Jennifer Vasquez sought and received a temporary protective order against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in May 2021, per court records filed in Prince George’s County District Court.
The Department of Homeland Security posted a document Wednesday it said was from the case, which alleged Abrego Garcia “punched and scratched” Vasquez, “ripped off” her shirt, and “grabbed and bruised” her.
At the time, the judge in the case ordered Abrego Garcia not to contact Vasquez, vacate their home, and stay away from the home of another family member. He was also ordered to surrender firearms.
The case, however, was dismissed in June 2021 after Vasquez failed to appear for a final hearing, according to court records. The two returned to living together.
In a statement provided to CBS News Wednesday evening, Vasquez confirmed seeking the court order.
“After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated,” Vasquez said. “Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process. We were able to work through this situation privately as a family, including by going to counseling. Our marriage only grew stronger in the years that followed. No one is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. That is not a justification for ICE’s action of abducting him and deporting him to a country where he was supposed to be protected from deportation. Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him.”
Vasquez is a U.S. citizen and Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national.
The Trump administration has admitted that an “administration error” led to Abrego Garcia’s deportation on March 15. The case has prompted a string of legal wrangling that made its way to the Supreme Court, which last week upheld a lower court decision that the Trump administration be required to “facilitate” his release.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the case has appeared to languished. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has repeatedly rebuked the Trump administration for stonewalling her and not complying with her order to both provide information on Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts and facilitate his return to the U.S.
Abrego Garcia was among 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadoran migrants that were placed aboard three March 15 deportation flights to El Salvador after the White House alleged, often without evidence, that the men are members of transnational gangs.
President Trump invoked the wartime 1798 Alien Enemies Act as justification for deporting many of the migrants to El Salvador. Another federal judge who had ordered the three flights to El Salvador be turned around found Wednesday that there was probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for defying his orders.
The men are reportedly being held in the notorious Salvadoran supermax prison, known as CECOT, under an agreement with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
During a White House meeting with Mr. Trump Monday, Bukele told reporters he would not be returning Abrego Garcia to the U.S., and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that same day it is “up to El Salvador if they want to return him.”
Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. illegally in 2011 when he was 16 years old.
In 2019, he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but an immigration judge barred his removal from the U.S. after determining that he could face persecution by gangs if deported to El Salvador. The judge granted him what is known as “withholding of removal” status.
He was arrested again on March 12 following a traffic stop. Citing information from an informant who officials have said is credible, the Department of Homeland Security has alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, a claim his family and attorneys deny. Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. or El Salvador, according to government documents.
In an interview with CBS News earlier this month, Vasquez said that Abrego Garcia is “not a criminal. My husband is an amazing person. An amazing father.”
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
Jacob Rosen,
and
Melissa Quinn
contributed to this report.
