New evidence surfaced Wednesday allegedly linking the “Maryland man” deported by the Trump administration to a human trafficking ring, challenging the Democrat and legacy media-created narrative that the father of two was a harmless undocumented immigrant unjustly sent to El Salvador’s mega-prison.

A report published last week by the Tennessee Star revealed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 26, was present during a 2022 traffic stop in which state police suspected him of transporting seven individuals in an SUV from Texas to Maryland and other locations across the country. Remarkably, FBI agents reportedly instructed Tennessee officers to release Garcia and the others at the scene. Now, it appears that the vehicle pulled over during the stop was previously tied to a human smuggling ring.

Abrego Garcia was driving a black 2001 Chevrolet Suburban, which had been cataloged by a Baltimore investigatory team from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The vehicle is linked to a suspect involved in a human trafficking ring that agents are actively targeting, according to documents reviewed by Just The News. “Vehicle is used by HSI Baltimore target in human smuggling/trafficking operation. Vehicle makes trips to southern border to pick up non-citizens,” the record says. The memo indicates that investigators should be contacted if the vehicle is seen.

Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, the registered owner of the vehicle and the individual Abrego Garcia claimed to be working for at the time, had previously pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling undocumented immigrants into the U.S., according to court records reviewed by the outlet. Hernandez Reyes, who was also in the country illegally, was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. As his sentence neared completion, the Department of Homeland Security issued a deportation order for him in March 2021.

A source within the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to the outlet that the Hernandez Reyes who was convicted is the same individual identified by Abrego Garcia, though reporters were unable to independently verify whether Garcia actually worked for him, as he claimed. During the traffic stop, several of the SUV’s passengers—originating from Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras—were found to have previously been deported from the U.S. and had re-entered the country illegally, according to Justice Department officials. Abrego Garcia was pulled over for erratic driving and received a citation for operating a vehicle with an expired license.

Officers reported their suspicion of passenger smuggling due to the absence of luggage in the vehicle. Abrego Garcia was previously arrested with a group of men in 2019 when they “freely admitted to being citizens and nationals of El Salvador by birth and that they were present in the United States illegally,” court records released by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi state. Prince George’s County has previously confirmed that Abrego Garcia is a member of the violent MS-13 gang, a conclusion upheld by two courts.

Meanwhile, several congressional Democrats have traveled to El Salvador to stump for Garcia’s release and return to the United States, despite his now well-known connection to a gang that President Donald Trump has designated a terrorist organization. They keep citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that did not order the administration to return Garcia but only to try and “facilitate” his return.