Latino Dems eye visit to Salvadoran mega-prison where Maryland dad mistakenly sent

Source: USA Today

Published 6:11 p.m. ET April 9, 2025 | Updated 6:13 p.m. ET April 9, 2025


Latino House Democrats want a look inside the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent hundreds of migrants accused of gang ties.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said Wednesday that representatives want to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father and Salvadoran migrant mistakenly deported due to an administrative error. He's been held in El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, also known as CECOT, since mid-March.

Members of Congress have the right to conduct surprise inspections of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, but their power doesn't extend to El Salvador. Espaillat said the Hispanic Caucus plans to write and call Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who is expected to to visit the White House next week, to gain entrance.

Abrego Garcia's family is suing the Trump administration for his return to the U.S. from CECOT in a case now before the Supreme Court. His family has said they haven't heard from the 29-year-old sheet metal worker in over three weeks. “The family deserves to know his condition,” Espaillat told reporters. “If they don't tell us, we will visit the prison ourselves to go visit him.”

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/09/latino-democrats-el-salvador-prison-abrego-garcia/83011856007/