The claim that Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s tattoos—marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross, and skull—represent MS-13 by corresponding to "M," "S," "1," and "3" is not supported by any credible evidence and appears to be a fabricated narrative. MS-13 tattoos typically feature explicit symbols like "MS," "13," devil horns, or gang-specific phrases, not cryptic representations like a marijuana leaf or smiley face. These tattoos are generic, common in personal or cultural contexts, and unrelated to MS-13’s known iconography.
No reputable source, including court documents, gang databases, or expert analyses, links these symbols to MS-13 or suggests they encode "M," "S," "1," or "3." The idea that a cross or skull is a "coverup" for gang symbols is also baseless speculation, as no prior MS-13 tattoos are documented on Garcia. This interpretation seems to have emerged to retroactively justify Trump’s misleading X post on April 18, 2025, which falsely implied these tattoos indicate MS-13 membership. The narrative is likely a post-hoc attempt to obscure the apparent doctoring of the "MS-13" knuckle tattoo and Trump’s misrepresentation of Garcia’s gang status. It’s false and unsupported.