President Donald Trump
By Lerato Mpembe
In a recent ABC News interview marking his first 100 days in office, President Donald Trump fiercely defended the authenticity of a photograph purportedly showing Kilmar Abrego Garcia with “MS-13” tattooed on his knuckles. The claim was met with immediate pushback from interviewer Terry Moran, who asserted that the image had been photoshopped. The exchange has ignited a firestorm of controversy, amplifying debates about the credibility of images wielded in political narratives and deepening the rift between the Trump administration and segments of the media over issues of truth and misinformation.
The Interview Exchange
The contentious moment unfolded when Trump referenced the photograph to underscore his administration’s stance on immigration and gang activity. “He had MS-13 on his knuckles, tattooed!” Trump declared, pointing to Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to El Salvador in March 2025. Moran swiftly countered, “That was photoshopped,” prompting a sharp retort from Trump: “Terry, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime. I picked you. But you’re not being very nice.” The terse back-and-forth highlighted not only the specific dispute over the image but also the broader tensions between Trump and media figures he perceives as adversarial.
The Photograph at the Center of the Storm
The photograph in question shows Abrego Garcia’s left hand adorned with four tattoos: a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull. Above these symbols, the letters “MS13” appear prominently. Trump has repeatedly shared this image on social media to bolster his assertion that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with MS-13, a notorious transnational gang. However, multiple sources, including photographic analysis and expert testimony, have confirmed that the “MS13” label was digitally superimposed onto the original image. The tattoos themselves—visible in other photographs, such as those shared by Abrego Garcia’s wife on TikTok and taken during his meeting with Senator Chris Van Hollen in El Salvador—are authentic, but the added text has fueled accusations of manipulation.
Expert Opinions and Ambiguity
The link between Abrego Garcia’s tattoos and MS-13 remains contested. Roberto Lovato, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and an expert on MS-13, noted that the symbols on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles—common motifs like skulls and crosses—are “notoriously difficult to interpret” and do not inherently signify gang membership. Maya Barak, co-author of a report on gang labeling, echoed this sentiment, cautioning against overreliance on tattoos as evidence, given their prevalence in mainstream culture. A community activist with decades of experience working with gang members told CBS News that he had never encountered finger tattoos like Abrego Garcia’s associated with MS-13. Even Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s “border czar,” conceded that while tattoos can be suggestive, they are insufficient on their own to confirm gang ties.
Conflicting Evidence and Public Reaction
The controversy is further complicated by discrepancies across available images. Photographs without the “MS13” label, such as those from Abrego Garcia’s personal life, contrast with the altered version Trump has championed. Critics argue that the administration manipulated the image to reinforce its narrative on immigration and crime, while supporters contend that the underlying tattoos still point to gang involvement, regardless of the added text. Public reaction has split along familiar lines: some laud Trump for challenging what they see as media bias, while others decry the incident as emblematic of a pattern of misinformation.
Legal and Humanitarian Stakes
The photograph’s implications extend beyond optics. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old father of three, was deported despite a court order barring his removal—an action the administration later attributed to an “administrative error.” The Supreme Court has since mandated his return to the U.S., though this order remains unfulfilled. The government’s insistence on his alleged MS-13 ties, partly predicated on the disputed image, has drawn sharp criticism from legal and human rights advocates, who argue that such claims demand robust evidence, not ambiguous or altered visuals.
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