In brief
The Congressional delegation's visit follows Supreme Court orders and aims to highlight issues of deportation and immigrant rights in the context of U.S. immigration policy.
Four Democratic lawmakers are in El Salvador to advocate for the release of a Maryland resident, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported. Representatives Robert Garcia, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Yassamin Ansari, and Maxine E. Dexter arrived on Sunday, drawing attention to the ongoing inaction by the Trump administration regarding the case, especially after the Supreme Court instructed the government to facilitate Garcia's return.“While Donald Trump continues to defy the Supreme Court, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held illegally in El Salvador after being wrongfully deported,” stated Representative Garcia. The visit builds on prior efforts by Senator Chris Van Hollen, who met Garcia last week in El Salvador after resistance from local authorities. Garcia, originally from El Salvador, had been residing in Maryland with his family before his detainment in March, leading to his deportation along with over 200 others accused of gang affiliations—a claim he disputes. Despite a 2019 judicial ruling that barred his deportation due to threats to his safety, the Trump administration acknowledged the error yet later asserted the deportation was lawful, transferring responsibility to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele for Garcia's return.Senator Van Hollen reported that Garcia had been moved out of prison and into a detention facility known as Centro Industrial in Santa Ana, El Salvador. The congressional delegation is also set to meet with representatives from the U.S. Embassy and human rights organizations to discuss the status of other deportees held in similar circumstances.
