Rep. Yassamin Ansari plans trip to El Salvador to demand return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Rep. Yassamin Ansari plans trip to El Salvador
An international conflict has inspired Rep. Yassamin Ansari to visit El Salvador to try and bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was declared wrongfully deported by the Supreme Court. FOX 10's Brian Webb has more.
PHOENIX - An international conflict has inspired Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) to visit El Salvador soon.
Her mission: return an American migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador.
What they're saying:
Ansari represents District 3, a diverse district in south Phoenix where 64 languages are spoken.
She believes this issue hits home with her constituents and she plans to do something about it.
"I believe this is a constitutional crisis. We are at a watershed moment in our nation's history," said Ansari.
She says the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.)
How did it get to this point?
Big picture view:
The Supreme Court orders Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US.
He was originally deported by the Trump administration. They admit his deportation was a mistake but refuse to fix it.
"It’s clear that this president lied to us when he said we are only going after criminals, but that is not the case. They’re going after really anyone that they don’t like," said Ansari.
The backstory:
Garcia is originally from El Salvador, but legally allowed to live in the U.S. on a work permit and is a resident of Maryland. Last month, he was shipped to a notorious max prison in his home country.
"Let me reiterate, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien, MS 13 gang member and foreign terrorist who was deported back to his home country," said Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary.
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The other side:
Democrats like Ansari insist this is how dictatorships work, and she should know. Her family fled Iran.
"As the daughter of immigrants who did flee and authoritarian regime themselves, I grew up hearing countless stories about how this can happen or you think one day you have certain freedoms, and the next you can be living in a country where students are abducted when the press is attacked simply for having a different point of view or stating the facts," Ansari said.
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Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily paused a Maryland judge's order to return to the U.S. a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
What's next:
A Maryland Senator had already tried and failed twice to see Garcia in El Salvador.
So how could an Arizona congresswoman do any better?
Ansari is determined to find out.
Dig deeper:
"This is not a partisan issue. It is about the Constitution of the United States and if it could happen to Mr. Garcia, I believe it can happen to anyone.
Because Republicans are in charge of Congress, they would need to sign off on making this an official trip.
Otherwise, Ansari and other concerned lawmakers would have to do it alone.