Rep. Raskin and Legal Experts Discuss Kilmar Abrego García Case, Implications, and Next Steps

Access a recording of the virtual event HERE

Access online version of the press release HERE

Washington, DC — Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) joined leading legal experts and advocates for a virtual America’s Voice press event to discuss the deportation of Kilmar Abrego García and the larger constitutional stakes posed by the Trump administration’s actions, including disregard for judicial authority, due process, and the rule of law. Speakers also discussed the administration’s reported plans to strip citizenship from U.S. citizens and deport them to El Salvador.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08) said: “While ignoring an order from the Supreme Court to facilitate the return of Marylander Kilmar Abrego Garcia, President Trump rolled out the red carpet for the self-proclaimed dictator President Bukele at the White House. Abrego Garcia had legal protection, yet he was stopped, shackled and shipped to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador in what the White House admitted in court is an ‘administrative error.’ President Trump must immediately direct its agents in these cases of false imprisonment—the government of El Salvador—to release Abrego Garcia from their torturer’s prison, restore his Due Process rights and return him to his loved ones in the United States.”

Baher Azmy, Legal Director for the Center for Constitutional Rights, said: “The Trump administration’s power grab is a direct threat to the separation of powers and the core principles of constitutional government. Even after losing in court, the administration is testing our tolerance of disobeying a lawful court order, and thus testing whether the rule of law actually matters in this country. The normalization of this behavior is fueling the administration’s ongoing assault on democracy. To stand up to his overreach we need political leadership and we need mass activation. If we want to live in a democracy, we need to do all we can to preserve it.”

David Leopold, Chair of the Immigration Practice at UB Greensfelder LLC and America’s Voice Legal Advisor said: “As the Trump administration intensifies its hateful rhetoric toward Kilmar Abrego Garcia let’s remember that it was the Trump administration that concluded in 2019 that Abrego Garcia’s removal to El Salvador directly threatened his life and liberty. In 2019 the Trump administration granted him lawful status in the US and work permit after fully vetting him. The Trump administration’s brazen defiance of multiple court rulings to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. should terrify every American. The Trump administration is engaged in an all-out assault on the rule of law which threatens the civil liberties of every American.”

Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, said: “What happened to Kilmar Abrego García should shake every American who believes in the rule of law. The Supreme Court has made clear he should be returned, yet the White House refuses to comply and continues to lie about his background. This case is a warning: immigration is the tip of the spear in Trump’s broader assault on the Constitution and the rule of law.”

●     Access a recording of the virtual event HERE