Trump's DEA nominee admits in confirmation hearing that migrants' tattoos resemble MS-13 markings

President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Wednesday told a Senate committee that he believes the tattoos on deported El Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia's knuckles resemble MS-13 markings.

Trump nominated former DEA agent and Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Terrance Cole for DEA administrator last month. Cole was with the DEA for over two decades and has been stationed in Colombia, Mexico, and the Middle East.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, pulled out a photo of Abrego Garcia's knuckles during Cole's confirmation hearing and questioned the nominee about the tattoos, which the White House has claimed prove Abrego Garcia's association with the gang. 

"Based on your time and experience and expertise in the DEA, what does that photo or those markings suggest to you?" the senator asked, per Fox News. 

"Well, they suggest that he's an MS-13 member — that those are his markings," Cole replied. "That's his brand."

When asked to translate the tattoos, Cole said the leaf on his first finger was marijuana, which starts with "M." The second finger was a "smiley face," he said, which starts with "S," followed by the number "1" and what "looks like a backwards 3, from here." The latter markings have also been described as a cross, and a skull.

"So based on your time as a DEA agent in the field, particularly in Mexico, these tattoos are consistent with MS-13 associations," Graham said.

Cole replied in the affirmative and also confirmed that no other gangs or organizations use similar markings.

The comments come as Abrego Garcia's case has become one of the biggest deportation cases in recent history. Democrats have argued that Abrego Garcia was a peaceful, law-abiding man from Maryland prior to his deportation.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.