Maryland Man and the long-term impact on Trump's immigration policies

Warm wishes for a blessed Easter and a meaningful Passover to all our friends celebrating.

Will the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia have a long-lasting impact on Pres. Trump's ability to fulfill his campaign promise of mass deportations?

It may be too soon to tell, but the story dominating the country's attention this week could have that big of an impact.

Abrego Garcia has been found by a court to be a member of the MS-13 criminal gang from El Salvador. He was in the country illegally, but his wife and two children are U.S. citizens, so Democrats have embraced him as the poster child for their opposition to Pres. Trump's immigration policies.

In 2019, after being arrested by police in a Home Depot parking lot in Prince George's County, Maryland, with other MS-13 members, Abrego Garcia was turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An immigration judge ruled that Abrego Garcia should be deported because he failed to prove that he "would not pose a danger to others, as the evidence shows that he is a verified member of MS-13."

His deportation order was subsequently withheld based on his claim that he would be targeted by a rival gang if returned to El Salvador.

In addition to the Maryland arrest, Abrego Garcia's wife requested a protective order against him in 2021 and accused him of domestic abuse. But she failed to appear in court, and the protective order was dismissed.

In 2022, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) said it stopped Abrego Garcia for speeding. He did not have a driver's license, was driving a van that did not belong to him, and was transporting seven passengers. THP contacted the FBI, but the FBI told them to release him from custody. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the aliens he was transporting were illegal and that he was involved in human smuggling.

The Trump Administration is standing by its decision to deport Abrego Garcia based on his status as a terrorist-designated gang member, as well as the threat he presents to public safety. The Supreme Court has ordered the administration to "facilitate" his return to the United States. The administration argues that they only need to facilitate his return should El Salvador agree to send him back to the United States. El Salvador has refused to send him back.

The Abrego Garcia case could play a significant role in public support for or opposition to Pres. Trump's immigration policies, so it is important that the public be made aware of all the facts of the case. The president argues that he was elected to remove illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety, and especially those, like Abrego Garcia, who are members of terrorist-designated gangs. Opponents argue that every illegal alien, regardless of their criminal history or gang membership, deserves due process before being deported.

A new CNN poll finds that 56% of Americans support the deportation of ALL illegal aliens, up from 38% in 2016.

Courts continue to block Trump executive actions

This week, a federal judge blocked Pres. Trump's effort to end the Biden-era CHNV parole program.

The Trump Administration announced in March that it would terminate the CHNV program effective April 25th. Boston Federal District Court Judge Indira Talwani, however, temporarily blocked the executive action.

The CHNV parole program allowed nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the United States through ports of entry, allowing them to stay and work in the country for two years despite not having authorization to enter. More than 500,000 illegal aliens received parole under the program.

Should the Trump Administration's action go into effect, parolees would need to leave the country or face deportation.

The lower court's decision is just another example of the federal courts' attempts to block many aspects of Pres. Trump's immigration agenda. To date, the lower courts have challenged the president's ability to use the Alien Enemies Act to quickly remove terrorist-designated gang members, expand the use of expedited removal, and eliminate birthright citizenship.

The Supreme Court announced this week that it will hear arguments in May on whether lower court judges are exceeding their authority in issuing these nationwide injunctions. The case centers around the administration's executive action to end birthright citizenship, which three courts have enjoined, so it may give us a preview of where the Court stands on the issue.

Immigration News

TRUMP EFFECT: ICE Touts Highest Worksite Arrests in Agency History
While the mainstream media’s attention has been solely focused on one illegal alien gang member and spouse abuser who was deported to his home country, immigration enforcement has continued to increase in the United States. Retired Border Patrol Division Chief Randy Clark reported in Breitbart this week that ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has not only returned to worksite enforcement of immigration laws, but it has also had the highest rate of arrests in its history during the first 100 days of the Trump Administration. More than 1,000 illegal aliens have been arrested at worksites, and ICE has taken swift action to target employers who have been violating the law. Actions like these will hopefully discourage the employment of illegal aliens, which will, in turn, discourage illegal immigration.

Group demands ethics probe into Dem pol who flew to El Salvador to aid suspected MS-13 member
Despite the public fawning over Senator Van Hollen (D-MD) traveling to El Salvador to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia (the wife beating, gang banging illegal alien referenced above), our friends at the American Accountability Foundation have demanded an ethics probe into the actions of the Senator. In a letter obtained by the New York Post, AAF President Tom Jones stated, “Despite the overwhelming evidence, Senator Van Hollen decided that he would use Senate funds to fly to El Salvador and advocate for an enemy of the United States,” which AAF said could be a violation of the Logan Act. This law prohibits American citizens from negotiating with foreign countries without authorization from the U.S. government.

Trump admin orders ICE agents to check migrants’ compliance with online registry — and refer case to DOJ if they don’t
The Trump Administration has moved forward with its requirement that illegal aliens over the age of 14 (who have not otherwise registered with the Federal government) provide their fingerprints and address to USCIS or face fines or criminal penalties. While the registry requirement has been in the law since 1940, and aliens admitted or released into the country have already registered, USCIS recently provided a way for the rest of the illegal alien population to comply. This news came a day after a federal judge in DC allowed the Trump Administration to proceed with the requirement.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Why making America safer means revoking visas when threats arise
Finally, this week, we are leaving you with an op-ed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which details how his State Department will follow the law and revoke visas from aliens who violate the terms of their admission. He wrote, “U.S. visa holders should know in no uncertain terms that the U.S. government’s rigorous security vetting does not end once a visa is granted.”

Next Week

The House and Senate are on recess for the next week.