On Wednesday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged for an “American of Conscience” response against the deportation of Kilmer Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was erroneously sent to El Salvador’s notorious MegaPrison last month.
In a message on Social Platform X on Wednesday, critics of President Trump’s 2016 election claimed that the situation facing Abrego Garcia could happen to anyone.
“Prior to the election, I cautioned that there was no safe haven under authoritarianism,” Clinton stated. “If they can transfer Kilmer Abrego Garcia to a foreign prison, they can do the same to anyone without charges and without a trial.”
“Americans of conscience must take a stand against this,” she added.
The Trump administration declined to reinstate Abrego Garcia, despite federal court orders directing the administration to secure his release from custody.
Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador as a youth to escape gang violence. He was granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge in 2019, and this year’s Federal Court has been emphasized to urge the administration to return him to the United States.
The administration had previously acknowledged in court documents that Abrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to El Salvador, yet authorities claim he posed some level of danger to society, and thus was returned to El Salvador.
The White House depicted him as an affiliate of a violent gang, denied by his family, which is documented in court records contradicting MS-13 accusations.
Democrats and civil rights organizations are raising concerns over the situation. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) traveled to El Salvador this week to engage with officials, who were not permitted to visit Abrego Garcia or communicate with him via phone.
