Senate Dems push sanctions for El Salvador president

• Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the sanctions package on Thursday. The bill would also sanction El Salvador's vice president and ministers for foreign relations, defense and justice.
• The Democrats accused the El Salvadorian official of "colluding" with the Trump administration to imprison Garcia in the country. They also said Bukele is jailing innocent journalists and human rights activists.
• Garcia, who lives in Maryland, was mistakenly deported by the Trump administration in March. He was returned to the U.S. this month to face criminal charges.

The big picture: Garcia's deportation was a flash point in Democrats' resistance to the White House's deportation policies. Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement spread nationwide this month.

• Van Hollen visited Garcia in El Salvador in April, advocating for his release. Democrats feel that Garcia's right to due process was violated by the White House.
• But Republicans have pointed the finger back at Democrats, accusing them of standing up for a man who the GOP has accused of being involved with a violent gang.

What they're saying: ""President Bukele and the Government of El Salvador are colluding with the Trump Administration, taking American taxpayer dollars to imprison people as part of a scheme to violate their constitutional rights," Van Hollen said in a statement.

• "President Bukele may think he has a friend in President Trump, but he should know that Americans will not tolerate his efforts to undermine the rule of law and democratic institutions—whether in El Salvador or here in the United States," Kaine said in a statement.
• "President Bukele and his regime are continuing to commit abhorrent human rights atrocities and eradicate due process," Padilla said in a statement.

Go deeper: Ábrego García's attorneys ask court to fine government for ignoring orders