Name: 4 More Democrats Travel to El Salvador to Push for Abrego Garcia's Release
Uploaded: 2025-04-22T05:48:57.000Z
Description: Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) arrived in El Salvador on Sunday.

Jane Werrell is an international correspondent and anchor for NTD News based in London. Jane is a part-time anchor for "NTD UK News."

Jane Werrell

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

London Parade Marks 27 Years of Falun Gong Persecution

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

US–Iran Conflict Could Flare up to Full Scale War at Any Time: Middle East Expert

EU's Rear View Mirror Camera Comes With Real Privacy Concerns: Automotive Expert

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Mount Olympus Vies for UNESCO World Heritage Status

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's national security correspondent. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

World News

Middle East

Iran

US Strikes Iran After Deaths of 3 US Service Members

Nicholas Zifcak is an Epoch Times reporter.

Nicholas Zifcak

Eva Fu is a New York-based writer for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. politics, U.S.-China relations, religious freedom, and human rights. Contact Eva at eva.fu@epochtimes.com

Eva Fu

Nikou Bani

US News

State News

New York

New York March Marks 27 Years of CCP’s Persecution of Falun Gong

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

Sports News

FIFA World Cup 2026

Spain Wins World Cup by Beating Argentina 1–0 in Extra Time

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

White House Week in Review (July 18): Trump Says CCP Targeted US Elections

‘The Odyssey’ Off to Epic Start

US Welcomes Cuban Artist Who Challenged Regime

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 19)

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 18)

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 17)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 16)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 15)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 14)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 13)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 12)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 11)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 10)

Tom Gantert is a reporter for The Epoch Times.

Tom Gantert

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

Politics

Executive Branch

Trump Uses Recent Speeches to Warn Americans of Resurging Communism

NTD+ is a streaming platform featuring exclusive programming, investigative news analysis, and award-winning documentaries.


NTD+

Shorts

Alleged Reflecting Pool Vandalism Caught on Video

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Iran's Football Team Leaves Note of Friendship

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2.8 Million People in China Evacuated Amid Typhoon Bavi

Melanie is a reporter and editor covering world news. She has a background in environmental research.

Melanie Sun

California

California Governor, LA Mayor Declare Emergency Over Warehouse Fire

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Sen. Lindsey Graham Likely Died After Aorta Tear, Medical Examiner Says

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. 

Jack Phillips

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

UN Maritime Group to Rescue 11,000 Sailors Stranded in Middle East

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

China News

China Floods: Thousands at Risk After Multiple Dams Collapse in Guangxi

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

US, Iran Launch New Strikes; Trump Warns Ceasefire May Collapse

Four more Democratic lawmakers have traveled to El Salvador to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man at the center of a high-profile deportation by the Trump administration.

U.S. Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) arrived in El Salvador on Sunday.

This comes after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) made the trip last week.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) speaks during a press conference on the liberation of Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia in San Salvador, El Salvador, on April 21, 2025. (Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images)

In a news conference Monday in El Salvador's capital, the four representatives and Abrego Garcia's lawyer said they were in El Salvador “demanding his safe return home." The group said they hoped to continue to pressure authorities for his release, and that their petition to meet with Abrego Garcia was denied.

Frost said the representatives were in El Salvador to “build off the work” of Van Hollen and that they were inquiring about where Abrego Garcia was being held and under what conditions.

Chris Newman, a lawyer representing the deportee, added that his primary concern was Abrego Garcia's access to counsel.

“We know nothing of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts since the staged photo op on Thursday with Senator Van Hollen,” Newman said. "We demand to immediately know where he is and to have access to him."

Chris Newman, lawyer of the Abrego Garcia family, speaks during a press conference on the liberation of Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia in San Salvador, El Salvador, on April 21, 2025. (Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images)

The White House press office issued a statement Monday that said the past week “has shown Americans everything they need to know about Democrats’ priorities.”

The White House accused the representatives of "picking up their party’s mantle of prioritizing a deported illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member over the Americans they represent.”

MS-13 and other international criminal gangs were designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S. government earlier this year. Illegal immigrants who are suspected and confirmed members of such groups were prioritized for deportation by the Trump administration in March.

Van Hollen said he <a href="https://www.ntd.com/sen-van-hollen-meets-with-kilmar-abrego-garcia-in-el-salvador_1061392.html">met</a> with Abrego Garcia last week to check on his well-being on behalf of his family and to push for his release. The lawmaker was initially denied a visit with Abrego Garcia, but the Maryland senator was ultimately granted permission to talk with him and <a href="https://x.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/1913034619710034094">shared a photo</a> of their meeting.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) speaks with Kilmar Abrego Garcia (L) in a hotel restaurant in San Salvador, El Salvador, on April 17, 2025. (Press Office Senator Van Hollen via AP)

Van Hollen said he was the first lawmaker to visit El Salvador on this case and suggested there would be more.

Earlier this month, Reps. Garcia and Frost sent a <a href="https://robertgarcia.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/robertgarcia.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/garcia-frost-letter.pdf">letter</a> to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to request authorization for a congressional delegation to visit the maximum-security prison in Tecoluca where Abrego Garcia was held.

After Comer rejected their request, the lawmakers planned their own <a href="https://robertgarcia.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-robert-garcia-maxwell-frost-yassamin-ansari-maxine-dexter-arrive-el">independent trip</a>.

According to Comer, an official congressional delegation trip for this purpose would be a waste of taxpayer money.

"Your request to visit a foreign MS-13 gang member in El Salvador on taxpayer dollars ... has been denied," the <a href="https://x.com/GOPoversight/status/1913321682359460139">Oversight Committee wrote</a> in a post on X sharing Comer's response to the request.

"Please respect the money of the American people," Comer said in his letter.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States from a Salvadoran prison. The Trump administration initially said it had made an “administrative error” in deporting him to his home country despite a 2019 order preventing his deportation there, where the court determined that he would face danger.

Lawyers for the federal government said in court last week that they don't have the power to secure Abrego Garcia's release because he is in the custody of a foreign country. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has publicly stated that he has no intention of returning him.

Abrego Garcia was in the United States illegally and had a deportation order before the 2019 court order determined that he would face danger in El Salvador.

According to documents released by the U.S. Justice Department, two separate judges and the Prince George's County Police Department had found that he was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1396906/dl?inline">affiliated</a> with the MS-13 gang based in part on "a past proven and reliable source" who said that Garcia was an "active member of MS-13 with the Westerns clique" with the rank of "Chequeo." Garcia was also wearing clothing known to be affiliated with gang membership, according to the documents.

He was also questioned by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and suspected of being <a href="https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2025/25_0418_hsi_referral-abrego-garcia.pdf">involved</a> in human trafficking.

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, even if Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States, “he would immediately be deported again."

<em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</em>

Latest

Videos

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Americas

Donald Trump

Luis Eduardo Martinez is a correspondent for NTD News based in Washington. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Democratic Politics from the University of Westminster in London, England.

Luis Eduardo Martinez

Rachel Acenas is an experienced journalist and TV news reporter and anchor covering breaking stories and contributing original news content for NTD's digital team.

Rachel Acenas

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

4 More Democrats Travel to El Salvador to Push for Abrego Garcia's Release

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (July 20)

Special Coverage

[LIVE July 23 at 11:30 AM ET] 2026 Rally and March to End the Persecution of Falun Dafa

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (July 17)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (July 17)

Tiffany Meier is an anchor, China news investigative reporter, and producer for NTD News based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Tiffany anchors NTD's flagship shows "NTD Evening News" and "China in Focus" and co-moderates NTD's special election coverage "The Nation Decides." She produced the award-winning NTD Original documentary "Hollywood Takeover: China's Control in the Film Industry."


Tiffany Meier

NTD Special Coverage: Trump Addresses the Nation

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (July 16)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (July 16)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (July 15)

NTD Good Morning Full Broadcast (July 15)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.