Four House Democrats traveled to El Salvador on Monday to pressure President Nayib Bukele and the Trump administration to release Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported last month despite a federal court order barring his removal.
After being denied access to Ábrego García during their visit, the lawmakers escalated their demands, calling on the Trump administration to provide “daily proof of life,” ensure access to legal counsel, and facilitate his immediate release, Time reported.
“Since we were not able to get the answers we need today from the embassy, we have written a letter just as of 30 minutes ago to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding daily proof of life for Mr. Ábrego García,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, one of the House Democrats who went to El Salvador. “And of course, finally, demanding his safe return home.”
The delegation, comprised of Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, and Ansari, marks the latest Democratic effort to spotlight Kilmar Ábrego García’s case, which some legal scholars warn has pushed the U.S. toward a constitutional crisis.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to “facilitate” Ábrego García’s return to the United States, but stopped short of demanding that the Trump administration actually return the MS-13 suspect. The White House has repeatedly argued that federal courts have no jurisdiction or authority to interfere with a president’s conduct of foreign policy or use of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport members of gangs that President Trump has designated as terrorist groups.
The visit comes on the heels of a trip last week by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who was allowed a brief meeting with Ábrego García after two days of negotiations. Van Hollen described him as “traumatized” from being held at the infamous CECOT maximum-security prison, where the Bukele government detains alleged gang members and terrorists. He added that Ábrego García has since been moved to a lower-security detention facility.
However, the photo of that meeting, depicting Van Hollen and Ábrego García seated across from each other at a table, has drawn scrutiny from Democrats and the legal team representing Ábrego García’s family. They now question whether the image was a staged photo-op orchestrated by the Bukele government.
“We know nothing of Mr. Ábrego García’s whereabouts since the staged photo op on Thursday,” Chris Newman, the attorney representing his family, at Monday’s press conference, told Time. “Unfortunately, we are no longer able to trust the representations about this case made either by the United States government or by the Salvadorian government.”
Meanwhile, the constituents of many of the Democratic lawmakers are upset that they traveled to El Salvador.
One in Arizona wrote on X that she’s “so glad Ansari went and is ignoring her large homeless & veteran population back in CD01,” adding that “The people in El Salvador aren’t her constituents.”
Another noted, “How about you do your job in Oregon. Nobody cares what an El Salvador man is doing in an El Salvador prison. This is why you guys lost in November. You learned nothing.”
Justice Department attorneys say they are complying with court orders to facilitate Abrego García’s return by removing any barriers within the United States that would prevent it. However, they argue they have no authority to compel the Salvadoran government to send him back.
The Trump administration has accused Abrego García of human trafficking, citing a December 1, 2022, traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. He was pulled over for speeding and found to be traveling with eight other individuals in the vehicle.
The officer suspected human trafficking because neither Abrego García nor his passengers had luggage, despite reportedly being on the road for three days during a trip from Texas to Maryland, the New York Post reported.