The legacy evening newscasts made an awful editorial choice tonight. Faced with a decision to spotlight families of our fallen service members or continue to cast “Maryland Dad” Kilmar Abrego García as a victim, they chose the latter.
Emblematic of that coverage is the brief that ran on the NBC Nightly News, albeit buried in C-block:
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
8/25/25
6:52 PM
TOM LLAMAS: Welcome back. Just days after he was released from detention, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in government custody. Abrego Garcia spoke today for the first time publicly since the legal battle over his status erupted, calling his release “a miracle” before surrendering back to ICE. The Trump administration has threatened deporting him to Uganda, though a judge paused that for now. Abrego Garcia’s case drew headlines after he was deported to El Salvador in March. Supporters say he was wrongly removed, but the Trump administration has accused him of being a member of MS-13, which his attorneys have denied.
Abrego’s attorneys may have denied the evidence of his being a gangbanger, but there is the confidential informant evidence that never seems to find its way on to the legacy nightly news- as is the case with the domestic violence allegations. There is somehow never enough time to air any of this when it comes to coverage of “Maryland Dad.”
ABC and CBS weren’t much better, although ABC’s Pierre Thomas did note that Abrego was previously offered a plea in the human trafficking case that included deportation to Costa Rica as a resident or refugee. That’s far nicer on its face than deportation to the unknown unknowns of Uganda, and a far shorter margarita run for Sen.Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The networks gave this story preferential treatment while at the same time deliberately choosing to ignore President Donald Trump hosting the Abbey Gate Gold Star Families on the 4th anniversary of the terrorist attack that claimed 13 of our brave service members.
Per Fox News:
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation commemorating the anniversary of the Abbey Gate attack during the Afghanistan withdrawal that took the lives of 13 military service members.
Trump was surrounded by Gold Star families as he signed the proclamation in the White House.
“We remember these great 13 souls, but we also remember the people that were so badly injured, our soldiers, 32 of them approximately,” he said. “We understand that it should’ve never happened, should have never been allowed to have happened.”
Shockingly, this was the first time since the attack that the families had been to The White House. This is in stark contrast with the treatment they received during the Biden administration, beginning with President Joe Biden repeatedly looking at his watch during the Dignified Transfer.
And this explains, perhaps, why the legacies chose not to report on the Gold Star Families. The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal was the effective end of the Biden administration, and a painful humiliation for America. Instead, the networks continued with their advocacy for a criminal illegal alien. That decision alone speaks volumes about the legacy media, more so than any post facto analysis.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective newscasts on Monday, August 25th, 2025:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
8/25/25
6:42 PM
DAVID MUIR: Now, to the case of Kilmar Abrego García. Three days after being released from custody, he’s now back in custody tonight. The administration now saying he will be sent to Uganda. Late today, a judge stepping in and here’s Pierre Thomas.
PIERRE THOMAS: Just three days after he was released from federal custody. Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrested again by ICE officers when he arrived at his scheduled immigration appointment in Baltimore. And tonight, the Department of Homeland Security says he’s being processed for deportation to Uganda.
CASA ACTIVISTS: We are all Kilmar!
THOMAS: Abrego Garcia, who was returned to the U.S. after being wrongfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, today surrounded by supporters. “Even though injustice is hitting us hard,” he said, “We do not lose faith.” He’s facing criminal charges filed after his deportation to El Salvador became the focus of an international controversy.
PAM BONDI: He’s currently charged with human smuggling, including children. The guy needs to be in prison.
THOMAS Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys say the administration offered him a deal. If he changed his plea and serves time in prison, he would then be deported to Costa Rica, which has agreed to accept him as a refugee or a resident. They say if he didn’t take the deal, he’d be deported to Uganda. David, tonight, a federal judge putting the brakes on the government’s plan to deport Abrego Garcia saying, for now, U.S. officials are absolutely forbidden from removing him from the U.S. The judge said it seems the administration wants to punish Abrego Garcia, simply because he has exercised his constitutional right to a trial. David.
MUIR: Pierre Thomas live in Washington. Pierre, thanks.
CBS EVENING NEWS
8/25/25
6:36 PM
MAURICE DuBOIS: Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken back into government custody today, just days after being released from pretrial detention. CBS immigration reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez has been following the story.
CAMILO MONTOYA-GALVEZ: Kilmar Abrego Garcia was surrounded by supporters and prayed with his wife before being detained at an ICE facility in Baltimore. The Department of Homeland Security alleges that Abrego Garcia is a gang member and a part of a human smuggling ring, charges he denies. He now faces deportation to Uganda, though a federal judge has blocked that effort for now. It’s the latest chapter in a legal battle that began in March, when the Trump administration wrongfully deported Abrego García to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador. A 2019 court order said he should not be sent there.
