A lawmaker is organizing a third trip to El Salvador, aiming to meet Kilmer Abrego Garcia, a man who was deported by mistake, along with other individuals who claim they have been unjustly imprisoned there without judicial oversight.
Ivy, the lawmaker, hopes to push for Abrego Garcia’s return and seeks to hold the Trump administration accountable for following Supreme Court mandates regarding his case.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “promote” Abrego Garcia’s return; however, there has been little action from the White House. The ruling indicates that the Salvadoran government should arrange a flight for Abrego Garcia’s repatriation, but President Naibe Bukele has stated he will not comply.
“The administration hasn’t moved forward yet, so we need to keep applying pressure,” Ivy remarked.
In his effort, Ivy intends to meet not only Abrego Garcia, who is currently in a low-security prison, but also others like him who are detained at the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center known as CECOT.
Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador as a teenager due to gang violence and was previously granted protection by an immigration judge in 2019 to prevent his deportation.
However, he is part of a group of roughly 200 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men who were sent back to El Salvador on a flight on March 15. According to a Justice Department lawyer, errors in management led to their exclusion from the appropriate processes.
The situation surrounding Abrego Garcia has gained attention because of the administration’s missteps, yet Ivy expressed concern for others facing severe sentences abroad despite lack of convictions.
“What’s going to happen to these people in a prison system where they haven’t been found guilty of anything, yet they still don’t get released?”
A report by the Cato Institute noted that of 90 men held in countries with accessible immigration status data, 50 had entered the U.S. through legal means.
The Supreme Court has also intervened to stop further deportation flights, highlighting the importance of notifying those removed so they can contest their cases.
This marks Ivy’s third organized trip to evaluate Abrego Garcia’s well-being.
In April, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) visited El Salvador, applying pressure on the Bukele administration to engage with Abrego Garcia, eventually arranging for him to meet the Senator.
During discussions with Vice President Félix Ulloa, Salvadoran officials told Van Hollen that Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the country, revealing that financial incentives from the U.S. were influencing his imprisonment.
Notably, a prior group of MPs who visited did not secure a meeting with Abrego Garcia.
A few weeks later, members of the El Salvador Caucus went to the country, although most GOP representatives did not pursue a meeting with him.
Similarly, Ivy plans to engage with Salvadoran officials, political opposition members, political activists in El Salvador, and U.S. embassy representatives.
Maryland Democrats have expressed that El Salvador risks jeopardizing its reputation by accommodating a Trump administration initiative to jail men in return for $15 million.
While Bukele has worked to reshape the country’s dangerous image, he often points out that it is no longer the murder capital of the world.
However, a mass detention campaign against gang members illustrates the ongoing violence that has plagued the region for decades.
“These issues could really damage that reputation as they start resembling more of a prison state than a tourist destination,” Ivy pointed out.
“I think Bukele has a lot at stake here.”
Ivy further suggested that the Trump administration is taking unnecessary risks.
“I’m not quite sure why they’re so determined, but now they’ve staked out a strong position, which could lead to significant backlash,” he added.
“Or it might escalate into a constitutional crisis involving the Supreme Court.”
