Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., told Newsmax on Thursday that the lengths Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is going to in an attempt to return a deported illegal immigrant, who is an alleged gang member, to the United States is “far beyond the pale.”
“This person, again, adjudicated in two immigration courts to be an MS-13 gang member, he's now known to be a domestic abuser, he was stopped in Tennessee a couple of years ago transporting eight people, on suspicion of human trafficking, from Texas to Maryland,” Harris said on “Wake Up America.” “Look, this man is where he belongs. He's a citizen of El Salvador. He's back home. That's where he belongs.”
The Trump administration has claimed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was arrested in Maryland and subsequently deported, was an MS-13 member. Despite an immigration court order blocking his deportation, he was returned to El Salvador. Newly released court documents show that Garcia held the rank “Chequeo” and the street name "Chele" within the brutal criminal enterprise.
Harris’ district is no stranger to crime committed by illegal immigrants. In August 2023, Rachel Morin, a mother of five, was out for a jog when she was raped and murdered by Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador with ties to the MS-13 gang.
He said the move by Van Hollen is “just the latest in a long string of events like this,” pointing to “a long history of the Democrats literally coddling illegal immigrants at the expense of American citizens.”
Van Hollen has reportedly described Garcia, as a “Marylander,” but Harris told Newsmax that Garcia is not a citizen of his home state.
“He is an El Salvadorian; he is not a Marylander in any way, shape or form,” he said. “He's not a Maryland citizen; he's not a U.S. citizen. He's an El Salvador citizen. He's back where he belongs.”
According to a CBS report, Garcia does not have a criminal record and has never been charged with a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador.
Harris said his constituents are not in favor of bringing Garcia back to Maryland and do not support state officials’ attempts to return him to their communities.
“I just had a conversation earlier this morning with someone from my district,” he said. “They're like, ‘What in the world is our governor and our senator thinking?’ They want this guy as far away from America as possible. They know he's bad news, but there are hundreds of thousands like him that were admitted in the last four years under the Biden administration among the 12 to 15 million people allowed into this country. They want them to go back home.”
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