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U.S. Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) has landed in El Salvador, joining three other Democratic lawmakers to demand the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legal U.S. resident who was wrongfully deported and remains imprisoned despite a U.S. Supreme Court order requiring his return.
Dexter, who represents Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, told WW in a phone interview from El Salvador that Abrego Garcia has not spoken to his family since his last meeting with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
“We’re here to shine a light on the fact that the Trump administration is refusing to facilitate and effectuate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States for due process,” Dexter said.
Dexter announced her trip to El Salvador late Friday.
Abrego Garcia, 29, a legal resident who fled gang violence in El Salvador at 16, was living in Maryland with his U.S. citizen family when he was deported March 15. The Trump administration has acknowledged the deportation as an “administrative error,” but has since refused to comply with the high court’s ruling.
Dexter said her group requested to visit Abrego Garcia in prison but was denied access by the U.S. embassy.
“We are not being allowed to see him for proof of life and proof of wellness,” Dexter said. “His family has significant concerns about various medical issues and whether he’s receiving the treatment and diet necessary to remain healthy.”
The delegation includes U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), and Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). Dexter said the trip was not approved by the Republican-led House, which blocked it from being an official congressional visit.
Instead, she said, she is personally covering the cost of the trip.
When WW asked her why she traveled to El Salvador when Abrego Garcia is not her constituent, Dexter said the implications of his continued detention go far beyond state lines.
“Our constitutional rights as Americans are at stake,” she said. “I represent over 780,000 Oregonians who are reaching out to our office proactively asserting that this is the issue they are most concerned about. Our community is scared.”
“This is a slippery slope and a red line in the sand that every leader should be willing to act on,” she continued. “I am able to travel here safely because of my representation for Americans, and it is my obligation, I believe, to be here and make sure we do not lose sight of the fact that constitutional rights and Supreme Court orders are being ignored by the Trump administration.”
Dexter said the delegation had not been permitted inside CECOT—the Salvadoran prison where Abrego Garcia is reportedly being held—and there is no indication it will be.
“The press paying attention to this, making sure we do not lose focus on this case, is critical,” she said. “If we allow this to happen, we create a precedent that any person in the United States can be subject to similar treatment. The purpose of this trip is so people do not dismiss this as one person’s challenge. This is a nightmare for his family, but it could be a nightmare for any family.”