Georgetown University law professor and constitutional expert Jonathan Turley shot down the Democratic narrative regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien who was deported earlier this month to his home country of El Salvador.
During a Fox News segment on Tuesday, Turley shot down Democrat claims that the Trump administration has misidentified Abrego Garcia as a member of the MS-13 gang — which President Trump has designated a terrorist organization — and that the former Maryland resident never got “due process” of law.
Host Laura Ingraham played a clip of Abrego Garcia’s attorney, who cited the U.S. Supreme Court ruling this month directing the Trump administration to “facilitate” her client’s return to the United States and “justify their own admitted mistake by trying to find all of these justifications, dirty laundry” regarding his reputed gang status.
“She looks like she’s out of law school,” Ingraham, who is also an attorney, began. “Is it dirty laundry that we’re taking about here? Pretty serious matters, questions of domestic abuse, findings of MS-13 affiliation and so forth.”
“Yeah, the point is that I think mature minds have got the prevail ultimately in this,” Turley said. “He has had due process in the sense that he had an earlier hearing that found evidence that he was an MS-13 member, that was based on a confidential source and other information presented by the government and went on appeal.
“That ruling was upheld. He was allowed to stay in the country due to the threats that he said were coming from an opposing gang, and under a special rule that may no longer be applicable,” Turley continued. “So there was a process.
“Now, that doesn’t mean that the administration should have brought him back. If he’s brought back, I don’t see any basis in which he could stay here for very long,” the legal expert added. “I think the administration has very good cause to go back and to really show that the original order is based on conditions that no longer exist.”
Ingraham responded: “Come back, and 24 hours later, he’s deported again.”
WATCH:
Four House Democrats traveled to El Salvador on Monday to pressure President Nayib Bukele and the Trump administration to release, but it didn’t go according to plan.
After being denied access to Ábrego García during their visit by the El Salvadoran government, the lawmakers escalated their demands, calling on the Trump administration to provide “daily proof of life,” ensure access to legal counsel, and facilitate his immediate release, Time reported.
“Since we were not able to get the answers we need today from the embassy, we have written a letter just as of 30 minutes ago to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding daily proof of life for Mr. Ábrego García,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, one of the House Democrats who went to El Salvador. “And of course, finally, demanding his safe return home.”
The delegation, comprised of Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, and Ansari, marks the latest Democratic effort to spotlight Kilmar Ábrego García’s case, which some legal scholars warn has pushed the U.S. toward a constitutional crisis.
The White House has repeatedly argued that federal courts have no jurisdiction or authority to interfere with a president’s conduct of foreign policy or use of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport members of gangs that President Trump has designated as terrorist groups.
Their visit comes on the heels of a trip last week by Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who was allowed a brief meeting with Ábrego García after two days of negotiations.
Van Hollen described him as “traumatized” from being held at the infamous CECOT maximum-security prison, where the Bukele government detains alleged gang members and terrorists.
He added that Ábrego García has since been moved to a lower-security detention facility.
