Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey is flying to El Salvador on Friday evening and tells WTOP he hopes to visit with the Maryland man originally from El Salvador, who was mistakenly deported earlier this year.
Ivey is flying to San Salvador with no guarantees that he’ll get to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, to advocate for his return to the U.S.
“The goal of the trip: Trying to meet with Kilmar to make sure he’s doing well,” Ivey said.
The Maryland lawmaker is also “trying to keep the pressure on the Trump administration, with respect to finally complying with court orders from the Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to take the steps to have him brought back.”
Ivey — whose constituent district includes Prince George’s County — is making the trip amid concerns he has about President Donald Trump’s administration, its willingness to obey court orders and adhere to the law.
He said the administration is moving in the wrong direction in that regard.
“The administration already acknowledged that it was illegal for them to send him down there, and the Supreme Court has told the administration to facilitate his return. The Fourth Circuit used even stronger language, and they’re still dragging their feet,” Ivey said.
“So we need to make sure we get this moving in the right direction, get Kilmar brought back so he can have his day in court, and get other deportees brought back … so they can have the due process that the Constitution requires.”
While he’s there, Ivey also intends to meet with both Salvadoran and American officials, as well as private citizens he said are in advocacy and religiously affiliated groups. He also hopes to find out more about the agreement whereby El Salvador is imprisoning deportees and whether it’s complying with American law.
And even if he doesn’t get a chance to check in with Abrego Garcia, Ivey said it won’t change anything about the current situation.
“At the end of the day, the process of bringing him back doesn’t revolve around whether I get a chance to talk to him or not,” Ivey said.
“This is something that the Trump administration should have put in motion, really, weeks ago.”
Ivey reiterated the court decisions surrounding the case.
“They shouldn’t have to have members of Congress going down there to visit,” he said.
“The courts ordered this. The Constitution says they should comply. They should just do it, instead of having to be forced to do it and continue to drag their feet.”
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