Just 27% of Americans Buy Trump’s Claim Abrego Garcia Is MS-13 Gang Member: Poll

Jose Luis Magana/AP

A new poll from The Economist revealed that just 27% of American believe that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a member of the Salvadoran gang MS-13.

In the poll published Wednesday, more than 1,600 U.S. were surveyed. On the topic of Abrego Garcia — the Salvadoran migrant who was taken from his family in Maryland and deported to El Salvador’s maximum security prison CECOT — President Donald Trump’s administration does not have a great deal of support from the public.

The administration previously admitted that Abrego Garcia was deported in error. Despite a court ordering the Trump administration must “facilitate” his return to the U.S., officials have vowed to defy that order with claims that the man in question is actually a member of MS-13. Critics of the move — including Abrego Garcia’s legal team — have called those allegations into question; and the evidence presented by the administration has been met with intense scrutiny.

According to the poll, the number of Americans that believe Abrego Garcia should be brought back far exceeds those who believe he should be left in El Salvador. Fifty percent said they were in favor of Trump bringing him back, while just 28% said he shouldn’t be brought back. Additionally, 22% said they were unsure. When split by who they voted for in 2024, a staggering 90% of Kamala Harris voters want Abrego Garcia to be brought back. Fifty-nine percent of Trump voters, on the other hand, do not want him back.

The very next question in the poll dealt with the Trump administration’s claims of Abrego Garcia’s alleged gang ties. Only 27% believe Abrego Garcia is indeed in MS-13, while 30% believe he isn’t and 43% are unsure. Going by 2024 votes, 59% of Trump voters believe the administration while 63% of Harris voters do not.

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