FCC Complaint: Media Turns MS-13 Gang Member into ‘Maryland Dad’ in Disgraceful Act of News Distortion

The Center for American Rights has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against NBC, ABC, and CBS for deliberately misleading the American public about Kilmar Abrego Garcia.  

Despite clear findings from federal immigration courts that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous, unlawful immigrant and a validated member of the violent MS-13 gang, these networks repeatedly and falsely described him as a “Maryland father,” “legal resident,” and sympathetic victim of mistaken deportation. In doing so, they misled the public, concealed crucial facts, and violated the public interest obligations required of FCC licensees.

“This wasn’t sloppy reporting, it was calculated distortion,” said Daniel Suhr, President of the Center for American Rights. “NBC, ABC, and CBS tried to gaslight the American people with a manufactured sob story. That’s not journalism. That’s propaganda.”

The complaint outlines how major broadcasts across all three networks ignored or obscured the facts of Garcia’s immigration case, including his verified gang ties and multiple domestic violence allegations. NBC went so far as to frame the case around a Chicago Bulls hat.

“These networks had every opportunity, and a responsibility, to report the truth, but instead chose to craft a narrative that fit their political agenda. That’s a betrayal of journalistic integrity and why public trust in media is at historic lows,” said Suhr.

The Center argues this is part of a broader, systemic problem in corporate media, citing D.C. Circuit Judge Laurence Silberman, who warned: “Nearly all television—network and cable—is a Democratic Party trumpet.”

The Center is asking the FCC to investigate these repeated misrepresentations and hold the networks accountable for failing in their duty to serve the public with fair, factual, and honest reporting. The FCC’s long-standing precedent makes clear that licensees may not "distort or suppress the basic factual information" essential to public debate.

This complaint follows a pattern of media misconduct the Center has repeatedly exposed, including previous complaints filed against CBS for news distortion over edits made to Kamala Harris’s interviews, NBC for using “Saturday Night Live” as a campaign platform, and ABC for hosting a biased presidential debate that flouted federal rules.

For more on the Center’s ongoing legal efforts to fight political media bias, visit www.americanrights.org.