House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dodged a question Thursday about whether he wants members of his caucus to travel to El Salvador in the future to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the suspected MS-13 gang member deported by the Trump administration in March.
Anti-Trump news outlet The Bulwark reported Wednesday that Jeffries is privately discouraging Democrats from traveling to El Salvador to check on Garcia after earlier visits from Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen and several House Democrats generated substantial negative press, but a New York Times reporter subsequently stated that sources told her it is “very much not the case.” An unidentified reporter asked Jeffries point blank whether or not he supports Democrats traveling to El Salvador during his weekly press conference, and Jeffries dodged the question. (RELATED: ‘We Gotta Keep Fighting This’: James Carville Calls For Dems To Make Their ‘Top Agenda’ Returning Alleged MS-13 Member)
“Mr. Leader, can you just clarify your position with a simple yes or no, do you support your members going to El Salvador, particularly in terms of the situation involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia?” asked a reporter in attendance.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Jeffries responded. “In terms of the report that alleged that members of House Democratic leadership had some phantom conversation with either the members who took a trip to El Salvador or any other members, that is a complete and total fabrication. The only statement that was made to members who went to El Salvador was ‘Welcome back, we are glad you have returned safely.’”
Jeffries’ office did not respond to multiple inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation regarding whether or not he wants Democrats to keep making the trips.
Garcia’s deportation became a political flash point as Democrats and the corporate press seized on an administrative error made by the Trump administration as it deported him. However, several pieces of evidence emerged in subsequent weeks to indicate that Garcia is a member of MS-13 alleged to have beaten his wife and potentially engaged in human trafficking.
Van Hollen nevertheless ventured to El Salvador earlier in April on the taxpayer’s dime to check on Garcia, and photos of the two men sitting at a table with margaritas in front of them drew considerable attention and criticism.
A delegation of House Democrats followed Van Hollen’s lead and made a visit of their own, staying in a five-star luxury hotel for their trip. The second group of Democrats failed to secure a meeting with Garcia after Salvadoran authorities denied their request.
The DCNF has asked several House Democrats about their view on whether or not colleagues should continue going to El Salvador to draw attention to Garcia’s situation, though they also did not directly answer the questions. One House Democrat — Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — was comparatively more direct in her response, telling the inquiring DCNF reporter to “fuck off.”
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