For weeks, media bombarded Americans with reports about a “Maryland father” who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador — a sympathetic figure supposedly plucked from the streets in a suburb in Baltimore. At the time it appeared the only available detail that stained Democrats’ caricature of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was his alleged involvement in MS-13.
Such an allegation didn’t deter Democrats from rushing to his defense, with Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen going so far as to fly to El Salvador to sit down with Abrego Garcia — a surreal photo-op complete with margaritas. But as Hollen made his visit to El Salvador, new details surfaced: Abrego Garcia wasn’t just allegedly linked to MS-13 — he was also an accused wife-beater and human smuggler.
Suddenly defending Abrego Garcia as an individual — or a “Maryland father” — became politically toxic. So, the narrative shifted. Now, it was less about defending Abrego Garcia and more about defending his “due process rights.”
There’s just one problem: Abrego Garcia already had due process in 2019.
Abrego Garcia illegally crossed the border in 2011 and was detained in March of 2019. He was charged with removability and later was denied bond when an immigration judge concluded — based on evidence — that Abrego Garcia “is a verified member of MS-13” and failed to prove “that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others.” Abrego Garcia’s attorneys then filed an asylum claim six months later. This claim was also denied, though a judge did rule that Abrego Garcia could not be sent to El Salvador. As Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Article 3 Project, explained, “Any third country would be sufficient.”
So if it can’t be about “due process,” then what is it really all about?
It’s about sabotaging Trump’s lawful, effective, and broadly popular deportation agenda.
Hellbound and Down 