TECOLUCA, El Salvador – In a high-security cell at El Salvador’s Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, numerous gang members, including some U.S. citizens, are currently incarcerated. The Trump administration has entertained the idea of sending American inmates, including citizens, to El Salvador’s jails as part of an initiative that remains under consideration.
A group of four House Democrats – Representatives Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost, Yassamin Ansari, and Maxine Dexter – flew to El Salvador on Monday to demand the release and return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who resided in Maryland before being deported by the administration to a prison in El Salvador. The lawmakers aim to pressure the White House to adhere to a Supreme Court order regarding the case.
Despite a Supreme Court directive to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has resisted bringing him back to the U.S. for reasons relating to an alleged administrative error. An immigration judge had ruled against deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, asserting that he faced the likelihood of persecution in his home country. However, the administration opted to deport him on the grounds of suspected affiliation with MS-13, an allegation vehemently disputed by his legal representatives.
The decision not to bring back Abrego Garcia has sparked bipartisan criticism, with the Salvadoran government standing firm on its stance to retain the citizen. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has dismissed any notion of releasing Abrego Garcia as absurd, prompting ongoing legal battles between the U.S. administration and judicial authorities.
Efforts to secure congressional travel funds and security for the House Democrats’ visit to El Salvador have faced resistance from Republican lawmakers. Rep. James Comer and Rep. Mark Green, who chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and House Homeland Security Committee respectively, have both rejected requests for financial support related to the visit.
The visit by the House Democrats is part of a broader trend of bilateral engagement between U.S. and El Salvadoran officials in recent months. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Rep. Riley Moore are among the American representatives who have visited El Salvador to discuss various bilateral issues, including the case of Abrego Garcia. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, met with Abrego Garcia personally last week, underscoring the ongoing efforts to resolve the situation.