A delegation of Democrats jumped on the bandwagon and headed to El Salvador Monday to demand that the Trump administration return reputed MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US — as their very own constituents slammed them for grandstanding.
Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Arizona), Maxine Dexter (D-Oregon) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) met with officers on the US embassy within the Central American nation, arguing President Trump illegally deported Abrego Garcia — and defied court docket orders to deliver him again.
“Trump is illegally arresting, jailing, & deporting individuals with no due course of. We should maintain the Administration accountable for these unlawful acts and demand Kilmar’s launch,” Frost wrote on X upon the group’s arrival.
“Right now it’s him, tomorrow it might be anybody else,” he added.
Whereas it’s unclear how precisely the journey was funded, James Comer, the chairman for the Home’s Committee on Oversight and Authorities Reform, denied the group’s request to make use of taxpayer funds “to fulfill with a international MS-13 gang member whose spouse accused him of crimes and who’s strongly suspected of human trafficking.”
The group acquired backlash from fed-up constituents again residence.
One in Arizona wrote on X that she’s “so glad Ansari went and is ignoring her massive homeless & veteran inhabitants again in CD01,” including that “The individuals in El Salvador aren’t her constituents.”
How about you do your job in Oregon. No person cares what an El Salvador man is doing in an El Salvador jail. Because of this you guys misplaced in November. You realized nothing.
— FIDO
(@C_C383) April 21, 2025
One other famous, “How about you do your job in Oregon. No person cares what an El Salvador man is doing in an El Salvador jail. Because of this you guys misplaced in November. You realized nothing.”
The journey follows Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) taxpayer-funded assembly with Abrego Garcia final week.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia, 29, to his residence nation final month regardless of a 2019 court docket order blocking his elimination from the US attributable to considerations he might face gang retaliation from MS-13 rival Barrio 18.
Abrego Garcia was shipped off with 260 different reputed gangbangers after Trump used the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport the group with out a listening to.
A number of federal courts, together with the Supreme Court docket, have informed the Trump administration to return Abrego Garcia to the US after the revelation that he was deported as the results of a “clerical error.”
Abrego Garcia’s legal professionals argue their shopper has no prison historical past to help his deportation from America.
Justice Division legal professionals have claimed they’re complying with the orders to return Abrego Garcia by eradicating any obstacles current within the US that may stop his return. However they argue they will’t power the Salvadoran authorities to deliver him again.
The Trump administration mentioned Abrego Garcia was engaged in human trafficking after he was pulled over by the Tennessee Freeway Patrol on Dec. 1, 2022, for rushing and located to have eight others within the automotive.
The responding officer suspected human trafficking was concerned as a result of Abrego Garcia and his eight passengers had no baggage regardless of having been on the highway for 3 days touring from Texas to Maryland.
Abrego Garcia informed the officer he was sure for Temple Hills, Maryland, “to herald individuals to carry out development work,” in keeping with the memo.
The Salvadoran citizen was let go together with a quotation for driving with an expired license.
Nevertheless it wasn’t his first run-in with the cops.
Abrego Garcia was detained in Maryland in March 2019 after he was discovered hanging out with confirmed MS-13 gangbangers in a Residence Depot parking zone, in keeping with paperwork launched by the Division of Justice.
A “previous confirmed and dependable supply” additionally informed a Hyattsville Metropolis Police Division detective that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13’s Western clique who carried the rank of “Chequeo” and the moniker “Chele,” in keeping with a gang subject interview sheet.
When he was arrested, Abrego Garcia was donning a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie with rolls of money masking the eyes, ears and mouths of the presidents on the completely different denominations, which is “indicative of the Hispanic gang tradition.”
“Sporting the Chicago Bulls hat represents that they’re a member in good standing with the MS-13,” the police report learn.
He was later taken into ICE custody, however an immigration decide blocked his deportation to El Salvador in October 2019 after figuring out he was susceptible to retaliation from Barrio 18 ganbangers.
Abrego Garcia was additionally beforehand accused of bodily abusing his spouse Jennifer Vasquez Sura, a US citizen who has been fiercely pushing for his return.
The girl requested a Maryland court docket to grant her a protecting order towards Abrego Garcia in 2021 after he allegedly punched, scratched, grabbed and bruised her, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
His spouse informed The Submit final week that she was merely “appearing out of warning after a disagreement with Kilmar … in case issues escalated” after surviving home abuse “in a earlier relationship.”
“Issues didn’t escalate, and I made a decision to not comply with by with the civil court docket course of. We had been capable of work by this case privately as a household, together with by going to counseling,” she mentioned.
“Our marriage solely grew stronger within the years that adopted. Nobody is ideal, and no marriage is ideal.”
Abrego Garcia’s spouse additionally mentioned that Abrego Garcia’s alleged abuse “is just not justification for ICE’s actions of abducting him and deporting him to a rustic the place he was speculated to be shielded from deportation.”
