Exclusive: Abrego Garcia's Wife Responds After Restraining Order Revealed

The wife of a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador is criticizing the Trump administration for publicly releasing details of a 2021 restraining order against him.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, whose husband Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported just before the U.S. Supreme Court ordered his return, called the move an unjust act of "abduction" and defended her husband against the resurfaced allegations.

In an exclusive statement to Newsweek, Vasquez Sura responded to the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) release of court filings alleging domestic violence. The documents include her 2021 request for a protective order in which she accused her husband of punching and scratching her, ripping her shirt, and leaving her bruised.

The temporary order barred Abrego Garcia from contacting her and directed him not to harass or abuse her, according to the filings.

"After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution following a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order, in case things escalated," she said. "Things did not escalate, and I decided not to follow through with the civil court process. We were able to work through the 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. But 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 removal. Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to stand by him and demand justice for him," the statement adds.

Why It Matters

Abrego Garcia's deportation has become a flashpoint as President Donald Trump moves forward with campaign promises of mass deportations. Abrego Garcia was expelled to El Salvador last month, drawing intense scrutiny.

The Trump administration has claimed that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the MS-13 gang, though he has not been charged with any crime, and his attorneys have said there is no evidence linking him to gang activity​. Abrego Garcia's deportation in March occurred amid what DHS later admitted was an "administrative error."

Abrego Garcia is being held in El Salvador's high-security Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a prison designed for alleged gang members under President Nayib Bukele's sweeping crackdown on organized crime​.

What To Know

The case took center stage this week when Bukele arrived in Washington, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 9-0 ruling ordering the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return. The White House has resisted efforts to secure his return, arguing that the courts cannot interfere with the president's diplomatic authority.

Cabinet members and other White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, claimed Monday morning that the ruling had actually been in the administration's favor and did not compel them to bring back Abrego Garcia.

To support claims that Abrego Garcia was "not the father of the year," as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, DHS posted on X, formerly Twitter, 2021 court documents showing that Vasquez Sura had filed for a protective order, alleging acts of domestic violence.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, DHS officials wrote: "Kilmar Abrego Garcia had a history of violence and was not the upstanding 'Maryland Man' the media has portrayed him as."

What People Are Saying

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in the Oval Office on Monday: "I don't have the power to return him to the United States."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in the Oval Office on Monday: "First and foremost, he was illegally in our country, he had been illegally in our country...Right now, additional paperwork had needed to be done, that's up to El Salvador if they want to return him."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in the Oval Office on Monday: "The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the president of the United States, not by a court."

What Happens Next

If the U.S. and El Salvador say they do not have the power to return Abrego Garcia, his fate remains uncertain. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said she would move quickly on the case and invited the plaintiffs to conduct depositions with the DHS, ICE and the State Department by April 23.

Update 4/16/25, 6:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and a new headline.