Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR) has declared her intention to visit El Salvador to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who was wrongfully deported from the United States.
“Legal residents of the US are having their rights violated and are being detained indefinitely in foreign jails. This is not merely a personal tragedy for families; it represents a constitutional crisis that enrages us all,” Dexter stated in a statement on Friday evening.
“I will be traveling to El Salvador to confront this issue head-on, as our constitutional rights are at stake,” the lawmaker from the Portland area added.
Dexter, who represents Oregon’s Third Congressional District, is following the example set by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
“When he mentioned that his wife and family were sending their love and fighting daily for Kilmar’s return, he expressed concern for his reaction,” Van Hollen told reporters on Friday after returning home.
Abrego Garcia was deported last month based on tips from a 2019 informant who accused him of being affiliated with the MS-13 Gang, a transnational criminal organization classified as a terrorist group by the US government. He has not faced any criminal charges.
His family and attorney have refuted the charges. Previously, judges had intervened to prevent his deportation due to concerns over gang violence in El Salvador.
Last month, he was sent to the high-security CECOT prison in El Salvador, but the Trump administration claimed it was a result of “administrative mistakes.”
Dexter’s upcoming trip coincides with several House Democrats being denied similar requests for travel to comparable countries earlier this week.
Democrats Robert Garcia (California) and Maxwell Frost (Florida) utilized funds from the Congressional delegation’s official committee to seek a trip, but their request was denied by James Kommer (R-KY), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
On Thursday, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Greene (R-Tenn.) rejected the Democrats’ appeals, asserting, “There is no reason for Democrats to squander taxpayer money on supporting gang members internationally,” referring to the civil protection order filed against Abrego Garcia by his wife four years ago.
The administration has yet to act on promoting Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States following a Supreme Court order, which was condemned by a federal judge this week.
Trump reiterated his administration’s stance on the Abrego Garcia case, stating on Friday that he is “not a member of the MS-13.”
