Embed from Getty Images
In March, the Trump administration sent over 200 deportees to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, using the justification of an antiquated law from 1798 and vague accusations of Venezeulan gang involvement. Over 90% of the men sent there have no criminal record in the US. 60 Minutes did some sobering reporting on this. Several of the men were targeted for crown tattoos that were obviously not gang-related. In one case a gay makeup artist was chosen for his diva crown tattoos that said “mom” and “dad” and in another a professional soccer player with a Real Madrid soccer logo tattoo, which features a crown, was abducted.
The most famous case has been Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old man from El Salvador who is married to a US citizen and works legally in Maryland in construction. He was reportedly targeted by ICE goons for wearing a Chicago Bulls cap and hoodie. The Justice Department has admitted that Garcia’s deportation was an administrative error (that lawyer has since been fired) and have been ordered to return him to the US. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld that decision last week. Trump has openly flouted the Supreme Court order. He met with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele this week and “joked” about sending US citizens to maximum security prisons there.
So many of us are alarmed and outraged at this situation. Yesterday, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador in a vain attempt to secure Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release. He met with Venezuelan Vice President Félix Ulloa, who told him that the US government is paying for the incarceration of deportees. Unlike Republican representatives granted access to the maximum security prison, Van Hollen wasn’t allowed inside, nor was he allowed to speak with Garcia on the phone. Van Hollen was told that Garcia might be returned if the US Embassy in El Salvador requested it. He spoke with the people at the embassy and they had not heard from the Trump administration about returning Garcia. Van Hollen told Rachel Maddow last night that “it is pretty clear that the Trump administration has not lifted a finger to implement that court order.” I’m going to quote Axios here because they have a very good overview of this situation:
Driving the news: Van Hollen told reporters he asked El Salvador Vice President Félix Ulloa during a meeting Wednesday why Abrego Garcia is being held if U.S. courts and the government of El Salvador have found no evidence that he’s a member of the MS-13 gang.
“His answer was that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador to keep him at CECOT,” the senator said, referring to the prison Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.What he’s saying: Van Hollen said he asked to see Abrego Garcia or to speak to him on the phone to check on his condition.
The vice president told Van Hollen he needs to make earlier provisions to visit CECOT, the senator said. Asked if he could visit Abrego Garcia if he returns next week, the vice president said he can’t make that promise, per Van Hollen.
The Maryland senator asked to speak to Abrego Garcia on the phone, and Ulloa said he cannot arrange that but can try to do so if the American embassy asks. Van Hollen said he will ask the embassy to do so.
Zoom out: AFL-CIO, one of the most powerful labor groups in the country, joined in on the calls for Abrego Garcia’s return on Wednesday.
The group said Abrego Garcia is an apprentice with SMART Union Local 100.
“The labor movement in general sees one of their fellow brothers in a notoriously heinous situation in that prison, and it has people upset, scared,” union president, Michael Coleman, said on CNN.
The White House responded to Van Hollen by amping up the rhetoric and fear mongering against immigrants, because that is all they have. Van Hollen said on MSNBC that “I may be the first member of Congress here, but I can assure you more will be coming.” Other Congresspeople who are interested in going to El Salvador include Cory Booker and Maxwell Frost. I hope that Garcia is still alive and that he can be returned safely to his family. In the mean time a federal judge has found cause to charge the Trump administration with criminal contempt of court. May Judge Boasberg have the best security around him at all times.
It’s heartening to see our representatives and judges put their lives on the line for democracy. So many of us are also speaking out and protesting. I’ll be joining another protest this weekend. History has shown that it takes about 3.5% of the population to topple a dictator. On Rachel Maddow’s show last night she showed snapshots of the protests, gatherings and resistance happening around the US. There were hundreds of thousands of people protesting just this week. I’m going to stay and fight.
