President Nayib Bukele’s government has rejected a request from four visiting Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a detainee accused of gang affiliations and currently held in El Salvador.
The lawmakers—Representatives Maxwell Frost (Florida), Robert Garcia (California), Yassamin Ansari (Arizona), and Maxine Dexter (Oregon)—traveled to El Salvador this week to advocate for Abrego Garcia and sought permission to meet with him during their visit.
“We got word at the embassy that our request has been denied by the government here locally, they say it’s because we’re not here in an official capacity,” said Representative Frost.
Their visit has sparked sharp criticism in the United States. One congressional source stated, “Democrats jetting to El Salvador to lobby for an MS-13 member proves their priorities are catastrophically inverted. The administration deports gang members; Democrats charter flights to beg dictators for their return. Priorities: shattered.” Citing Department of Homeland Security evidence, critics claim Abrego Garcia wore MS-13 symbols and maintained ties with known gang affiliates. They also point to restraining orders related to domestic violence as part of his record.
To these critics, the lawmakers’ visit reflects not a humanitarian gesture, but a “performative allegiance to lawlessness” at the expense of victims like Laken Riley and Rachel Morin.