The case of wrongful deportation in El Salvador continues to rage. After U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen flew to El Salvador to visit a prisoner last week, a Democratic House delegation also arrived in El Salvador on Monday (April 4) to speak out for the wrongly deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and demanded that he return to the United States immediately.
According to media reports, four Democratic congressmen, including Yassamin Ansari, Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost and Maxine Dexter, flew to El Salvador on the 21st to meet with local officials and the US ambassador to El Salvador, and publicly criticized the administration of US President Donald Trump for ignoring laws and human rights.
It is understood that the US Supreme Court ruled on April 4 that the US government should "facilitate" Garcia's return to the United States. However, the White House still insisted that Garcia was a gang member and emphasized that domestic courts "have no right to interfere in diplomatic affairs." In response to the dispute over the unfulfilled judgment, Federal District Judge Paula Xinis also ordered an investigation last Tuesday (10th).
Ansari pointed out that "the Trump administration has not taken any action to help him return home safely, which is completely unacceptable." In addition, Frost also emphasized that "this matter is not just about Garcia, but about everyone in the United States. The Constitution and due process apply to everyone."
Last week, Van Hollen briefly met with Garcia in person in El Salvador. The meeting was specially arranged by the El Salvador government in a hotel. According to Van Hollen, Garcia has been transferred from the Central Anti-Terrorism Incarceration Center (CECOT) to the Centro Industrial prison in Santa Ana, El Salvador. In addition, Van Hollen has formally asked the Trump administration to explain whether the deportation was illegal.
According to The New York Times, members of the House of Representatives are also concerned about another deported Venezuelan makeup artist, Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, saying that he was treated as a gang member because of his sexual orientation and tattoos, and his current life and death is unknown.
Garcia entered the United States illegally in 2012 and settled in Maryland. He and his wife Jennifer Vasquez have three children. He was briefly detained in 2019, but the immigration court ruled that he should not be deported, considering that his life might be threatened if he returned to his country. However, he was still forcibly deported by the US government on March 3.
