Do Abrego Garcia's, The Man Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador, Tattoos Prove MS-13 Membership? Experts Say No

The Trump administration has asserted time and time again that the Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador had finger tattoos who proved he was a member of the MS-13 gang. But experts are casting doubts on those statements.

President Donald Trump recently posted a photo of himself in the Oval Office on his Truth Social account holding up an image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's hand with the letters and numbers "M," "S," "1" and "3" printed on it. The tattoos on his fingers included a marijuana leaf, a smiley face with two "Xs" for eyes, a cross and a skull.

"This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back, because he is such 'a fine and innocent person.' They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he's got MS-13 tattooed into his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc.," Trump wrote in his post.

The post was met with backlash by online users, who have recognized the labels as digitally added, and with some alleging they were designed to appear as part of Abrego Garcia's actual tattoos, accusing the Trump administration of trying to mislead the public.

Experts and researchers also cast doubt over the administration's accusations, telling CBS News that the tattoos could carry gang-related symbolism, but the markings are actually not reliable indicators of membership. They also cast doubt on Trump's claims that the marijuana leaf represents an "M," the smiley face "S," the cross "1" and the skull "3."

Roberto Lovato, an assistant professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, whose memoir chronicled growing up in California during MS-13's early years, said although symbols are "notoriously difficult to interpret," he does not believe Abrego Garcia's tattoos are suggestive of MS-13 membership.

Lovato also told the news outlet that he has spoken to current gang members and they said he does not believe Abrego Garcia's tattoos represent MS-13.

Likewise, a community activist who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution told CBS News he has worked with gang members for more than 25 years and has never seen a series of finger tattoos like Abrego Garcia's linked to MS-13.

Other experts rejected the Trump administration's claims, arguing that it is a difficult task to identify a gang member merely based on symbolism, and in reality, it often requires a multi-pronged approach.

"I'm not aware of any statutory framework that relies just on tattoos or honestly on any one single aspect," David Kennedy, a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said.

"Even if we take the tattoos to be indicative of MS-13 membership, that's very often not a permanent status and people stop being involved [in the gang]," he continued.

But despite nuances, the Trump administration has frequently leaned heavier into tattoos to tie immigrants who entered the country unlawfully to gang activity, according to a report from The New York Times. The official White House X account also reposted Trump's photo with a post that read, "if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

The report indicated that law enforcement agencies have previously used tattoos only as an indication of possible gang affiliation. Joseph Kenny, chief of detectives for the New York City Police Department, told the newspaper that a tattoo itself is never sufficient evidence to provide membership in a criminal organization.

Abrego Garcia has no criminal record and his family says he was never involved with a gang.