The liberal media is facing intense scrutiny after a new study revealed that outlets like CNN and MSNBC have repeatedly misrepresented Kilmar Abrego Garcia—an illegal alien and confirmed MS-13 gang member—by referring to him as a “Maryland man” more than 500 times in just three weeks.

Garcia, who was recently deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration despite a previous immigration court’s order to withhold his removal, has become a poster child for Democrats and their media allies. But according to newly released data, those same media outlets have grossly downplayed or outright ignored his gang ties, domestic violence accusations, and illegal immigration status.

Garcia is currently being held at El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison. The 29-year-old entered the United States illegally at age 16 and remained unlawfully for over a decade. He was recently taken into custody near Baltimore and placed on a deportation flight alongside other MS-13 suspects.

Despite that, media coverage from the Left paints him in a wildly different light.

According to a comprehensive study tracking usage across broadcast segments, CNN and MSNBC referred to Garcia as a “Maryland man” or similar descriptor 506 times over a three-week span. By contrast, his actual country of origin—El Salvador—was only mentioned in 102 of those reports.

The data breaks down even further:

• CNN discussed Garcia in 157 reports. Only 21 of those (13.4%) acknowledged that he was in the U.S. illegally.
• MSNBC covered him in 161 reports. Just 11 of those (6.8%) noted his illegal status.
• Together, the two networks described Garcia as Salvadoran in only 30% of their total reports.

In other words, Americans watching mainstream coverage were nearly five times more likely to hear Garcia described as a local U.S. resident than as an illegal alien from a violent foreign gang.

What’s more, Homeland Security records show that Garcia’s criminal history goes beyond illegal entry. According to court filings, his wife once sought a protective order after accusing him of physically assaulting her, including punching, scratching, and ripping her clothes off. DHS confirmed that Garcia was arrested alongside known MS-13 members and was in possession of drugs and large amounts of cash.

None of that stopped Democrats like Sen. Chris Van Hollen from traveling to El Salvador to advocate for his return—nor did it stop the media from spinning the story into a tale of a wrongly deported family man.

Kate Starbird, a professor who previously advised the government on “misinformation,” called the funding cuts to related projects “censorship.” But the real misinformation, conservatives argue, is being broadcast by the networks refusing to tell viewers the full story.

“They’ve turned the term ‘Maryland man’ into a meme,” wrote RedState’s Bob Hoge. “It’s gaslighting, plain and simple.”

Republicans aren’t buying the spin. The Trump administration, which designated MS-13 and other transnational gangs as terrorist organizations, has defended Garcia’s deportation as a victory for public safety.

Senate Republicans even released a brutal campaign ad mocking Democrats who visited El Salvador to demand Garcia’s release—reminding voters exactly who today’s Left is fighting for.

This is why the stakes of media truthfulness matter, critics say. “We cover this,” Hoge wrote, “because the media helped install the most destructive president in U.S. history—Joe Biden—by lying to the American people. And now they’re trying to do it again.”

With President Trump pushing an aggressive second-term agenda on immigration, and the Left racing to reframe criminals as victims, this fight isn’t just about Garcia. It’s about who gets to control the narrative—and what happens when the truth is buried for the sake of politics.