House Oversight Chairman James Comer delivered a crushing blow to four House Democrats who attempted to travel to El Salvador on a taxpayer-funded junket to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member and convicted wife-beater. Reps. Robert Garcia (CA), Maxwell Frost (FL), Yassamin Ansari (AZ), and Maxine Dexter (OR) thought they could pull off a brazen political stunt by demanding access to a violent criminal imprisoned in El Salvador’s CECOT facility. But Comer, refusing to let hardworking Americans foot the bill for this absurdity, denied their request for official Committee travel—throwing their scheme into chaos.
Unlike these grandstanding Democrats, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) had already exploited taxpayer dollars to fund his own trip to El Salvador, where he was photographed sipping margaritas with Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen’s shameless misuse of public funds highlights the left’s hypocrisy—they scream about “justice” while bending over backwards to aid violent criminals instead of protecting American citizens.
HAHAHAHA!
Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost reveals that the delegation sent to El Salvador to 'liberate' illegal alien and gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia have been DENIED access – because they are not there in an "official capacity" due to House Oversight Committee Chairman James… pic.twitter.com/hHBxFDiULX
— Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) April 21, 2025
Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant and alleged MS-13 member, was ordered deported in 2019 after an immigration judge ruled he posed a threat to public safety. Yet Democrats, in their relentless push to undermine U.S. immigration laws, are now trying to strongarm El Salvador into releasing him. Rep. Frost, whining about being denied access, complained, “We got word at the embassy that our request has been denied by the government here locally because they say we are not here on official capacity.” Meanwhile, Rep. Dexter melodramatically declared she wouldn’t return to the U.S. until Abrego Garcia was freed—a hollow threat from a lawmaker who clearly prioritizes criminals over constituents.
I am in El Salvador because I will not stand by while our country is thrown into a constitutional crisis. This is a moment to act. I will not rest until due process is upheld for all. pic.twitter.com/q5b4cZg3iV
— Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (@RepDexterOR) April 21, 2025
Comer’s response was a masterclass in holding the line. In a scathing letter, he wrote: “It is absurd that you both displayed active hostility for over two years toward the Committee’s oversight of the Biden Border Crisis and the consequences of millions of illegal aliens entering the country, yet now, you are seeking travel at Committee expense to meet with foreign gang members.” He added, “If you also wish to meet with him, you can spend your own money. But I will not approve a single dime of taxpayer funds for use on the excursion you have requested.”
If Democrats wish to travel to El Salvador and meet with a foreign illegal MS-13 gang member, they can spend their own money to do so.
I will not approve a single dime of Oversight Committee taxpayer funds for use on the excursion Democrats have requested. pic.twitter.com/ldokDJBTve
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) April 18, 2025
This is the kind of tough, America-first leadership that President Donald Trump has championed. While the liberal media fawns over Democrats’ performative activism, Trump and his allies are the ones actually enforcing the law and protecting citizens from dangerous criminals like Abrego Garcia. The left’s obsession with coddling illegal immigrants—especially those with violent histories—exposes their radical agenda: open borders, weak enforcement, and contempt for the rule of law.