Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) ended up in a heated exchange with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a hearing on Wednesday.
Swalwell shamelessly ran cover for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the deported illegal alien from El Salvador
Abrego Garcia is known to U.S. federal law enforcement as an MS-13 gang member, a human trafficker, and a domestic abuser.
However, Democrats are outraged that President Donald Trump’s administration deported the dangerous criminal alien.
During an exchange with Noem during the Homeland Security budget hearing in Washington, D.C., Swalwell attempted to claim that photos showing Abrego Garcia’s MS-13 tattoos had been “doctored.”
The photo in question shows tattoos on Abrego Garcia’s fingers.
Law enforcement has added “M,” “S,” “1,” and “3” to the image to show what each tattoo means.
You don't say!
President Trump shows a picture of the MS-13 tattoo on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s hand.
So do non-gang members get gang tattoos? pic.twitter.com/GpGUcaqgRm
— Barry Cunningham (@barrycunningham) April 18, 2025
However, despite the added letters and numbers being clear indicators that were not meant to look like tattoos, Democrats are shamelessly claiming that the image has been “doctored.”
“I want you to have credibility, and I want you to be taken seriously,” Swalwell said.
“Is this doctored or is it not?” he asked, referring to the photo that Trump shared on social media.
Swalwell was asserting that the letters “M,” “S,” and the numbers “1” and “3” above the tattoos were edited onto the photo.
Noem tried to respond, saying that the deportation of Abrego Garcia was based off an investigation, not a photo.
However, she was repeatedly interrupted by Swalwell, who continued to push his deceitful “doctored” photo narrative.
“Madam Secretary, I have a seven-year-old, a six-year-old, and a three-year-old,” Swalwell said.
“I have a bulls— detector.
“I’m just asking you, is this doctored or not?”
Noem replied that it was “unbelievable” that the lawmaker’s focus was on a photo and not on the importance of U.S. national security.
The DHS chief then noted that she had “no knowledge” of the photo in question.
Swalwell continued to use his time to push Noem about the photo.
However, the secretary responded that the mission of DHS is to secure the country and go after “the worst of the worst, the criminals, the bad actors.”
“Abrego Garcia is a known terrorist and member of MS-13, a wife-beater and a human trafficker that should never have been in this country to begin with,” Noem said.
WATCH:
READ MORE – Trump Announces Elon Musk’ DOGE Replacement, Lighting Fuse for Democrat Meltdown
