Scoop: Top House Dems trying to send delegation to El Salvador
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Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 10. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Two members of House Democratic leadership are trying to send an official congressional delegation to the El Salvadorian prison where the Trump administration is sending deportees, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Dozens of House Democrats have privately expressed interest in participating in such a trip to protest the Trump administration's deportation policies, sources tell Axios.
- But while lawmakers could travel to the Central American country informally, a Republican committee chair's approval is needed to send an official congressional delegation, or CODEL.
- A CODEL would provide the members with crucial oversight powers and security resources.
Driving the news: Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) asked House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.), in a letter first obtained by Axios, to authorize a CODEL to El Salvador.
- They cited the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is being held at El Salvador's Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) despite the Supreme Court ordering him to be returned to the U.S.
- "A Congressional delegation would allow Committee Members to conduct a welfare check on Mr. Abrego Garcia, as well as others held at CECOT," they wrote.
- Reps. Garcia and Frost said they are "prepared to travel as soon as possible" and would "gladly include any Republican Members of the [Oversight] Committee who wish to participate."
Zoom out: The letter comes after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) requested a meeting with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele to discuss the return of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident.
- Van Hollen will depart for El Salvador on Wednesday morning, he said in a statement. The Maryland Democrat said he hopes to meet with Garcia and check on his well-being.
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is also looking to lead a trip to the country and is still trying to iron out details of timing and who will join, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
- Bukele and Trump have refused to send Abrego Garcia back to the U.S.
In their letter, Reps. Garcia and Frost said the Senate "has already authorized CODEL travel to CECOT" and that "the House should be represented."
- A spokesperson for Comer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What we're hearing: There is considerable eagerness among House and Senate Democrats to travel to El Salvador, lawmakers and aides familiar with the discussions told Axios.
- Several potential trips have been floated among House Democrats — though they are running into the same issue of needing official CODEL status.
- "Many of us would love to be part of a trip like that," one senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share details of sensitive private discussions, told Axios.
- "It's surreal and Orwellian and many of us want to shine a bright light on it ... to expose whatever the hell this thing is," the lawmaker added.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
