The wife of a 29-year-old Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration last month filed a protective order against him in 2021 over domestic violence allegations, according to court records obtained by CBS News on Wednesday.
Jennifer Vasquez requested and received a temporary protective order against Kilmar Abrego Garcia in May 2021, according to court documents filed in Prince George’s County District Court.
The Department of Homeland Security released a document from the case on Wednesday, claiming Abrego Garcia “punched and scratched” Vasquez, “ripped off” her shirt, and “grabbed and bruised” her.
At the time, the judge in the case ordered Abrego Garcia not to contact Vasquez, vacate their home, and avoid another family member’s home. He was also required to surrender firearms.
The case, however, was dismissed in June 2021 because Vasquez did not appear for a final hearing, according to court records. The two returned to living together.
Vasquez confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday evening that he is seeking the court order.
“After surviving domestic violence in a previous relationship, I acted out of caution after a disagreement with Kilmar by seeking a civil protective order in case things escalated,” Vasquez told the newspaper.
“Things did not escalate, so I decided not to proceed with the civil court process. We were able to deal with this situation privately as a family, including going to counseling. Our marriage grew stronger in the years that followed.
Nobody is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. That does not justify ICE’s actions in abducting him and deporting him to a country where he was supposed to be protected from deportation.
Kilmar has always been a loving partner and father, and I will continue to support him and seek justice for him.”
Vasquez is a United States citizen, while Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national.
The Trump administration has admitted that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was caused by a “administration error” on March 15. The case sparked a series of legal battles that led to the Supreme Court, which last week upheld a lower court decision requiring the Trump administration to “facilitate” his release.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the case appears to have stalled. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has repeatedly chastised the Trump administration for refusing to comply with her order to provide information about Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts and facilitate his return to the United States.
Abrego Garcia was one of 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadoran migrants placed on three March 15 deportation flights to El Salvador after the White House claimed, without evidence, that the men were members of transnational gangs.
President Trump used the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify the flights. A federal judge who had ordered the three flights to El Salvador to be canceled ruled Wednesday that there was probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for defying his orders.
The men are reportedly being held in the notorious Salvadoran supermax prison, CECOT, as part of an agreement with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
During a White House meeting with President Trump on Monday, Bukele told reporters that he would not return Abrego Garcia to the United States, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the same day that it is “up to El Salvador if they want to return him.”
Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally in 2011, when he was 16 years old.
He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019, but an immigration judge denied his removal from the United States after determining that deporting him to El Salvador would expose him to gang persecution. The judge granted him the “withholding of removal” status.
He was arrested again on March 12 during a traffic stop. The Department of Homeland Security has claimed that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13, which his family and attorneys deny. Abrego Garcia has no criminal history in the United States or El Salvador.
In an interview with CBS News earlier this month, Vasquez stated that Abrego Garcia is not a criminal. My husband is an incredible person. An incredible father.