Trump administration border czar Tom Homan criticized Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s journey to El Salvador to go to deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, accusing the Democrat of touring “on the taxpayer dime to satisfy with an MS-13 gang member, public security risk, (and) terrorist.”
“What considerations me is Van Hollen by no means went to the border the final 4 years beneath Joe Biden,” Homan stated in a Friday interview with “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that aired Sunday. “What shocks me is he is remained silent on the travesty that occurred on the southern border. Many individuals died, hundreds of individuals died.”
In a separate interview on “This Week,” Van Hollen, D-Md., responded to Homan’s criticism, saying that he has lengthy supported combating gang violence.
“(Homan) is mendacity by his tooth on many locations in that — in that document. And I’ve been really combating MS-13, most likely longer than Donald Trump ever uttered the title MS-13. For 20 years on this area, I helped rise up the anti — you realize, gang — anti-gang activity power. However the thought that you may’t defend folks’s rights beneath the Structure and battle MS-13 and gang violence is a really harmful thought. That is the thought the president desires to place out. That is why they’re spreading all these lies.”
White Home “Border Czar” Tom Homan speaks with ABC Information whereas showing on ‘This Week.’
ABC Information
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who was residing in Maryland, was deported to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison in March. The White Home alleges he’s member of the MS-13 gang, which was designated as a “overseas terrorist group” by the administration; his attorneys and household deny he is affiliated with the gang.
Abrego Garcia obtained a protecting court docket order in 2019 barring him from being deported to El Salvador attributable to concern for his security. In a court docket submitting, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has acknowledged he shouldn’t have been despatched to El Salvador, calling it an “administrative error.” The Supreme Courtroom has upheld an order saying the administration should “facilitate” his return to the U.S.
Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador final week and met with Abrego Garcia, whose spouse is a U.S. citizen and constituent of Van Hollen’s, on Thursday after initially being denied entry to him.
Van Hollen confused that for him, this case is about defending constitutional rights, telling Karl, “I’m not defending the person. I am defending the rights of this man to due course of.”
However Homan defended the administration’s actions up to now, arguing that beneath the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which the administration invoked to deport lots of of Venezuelan migrants together with Abrego Garcia, due course of rights are extra restricted.
“I stand by the very fact I believe we did the precise factor right here. We eliminated a public security risk, a nationwide safety risk, a violent gang member from the USA,” Homan stated. “We have now adopted the Structure. We have now adopted the legislation. I’m assured that all the pieces we have carried out is comply with legal guidelines inside the constitutional constructs, completely.”
He continued, “The size of due course of isn’t the identical beneath the Alien Enemies Act. That is why the Alien Enemies Act was created. President Trump invoked the authorities he had beneath the Alien Enemies Act, an act written and handed by Congress and signed by a President. We’re utilizing the legal guidelines on the books.”
Homan’s protection of the centuries-old legislation in his Friday interview got here simply hours earlier than the Supreme Courtroom quickly halted its use to deport any Venezuelans being held at a facility in northern Texas.
Karl pressed Homan on the due course of rights of the deported undocumented immigrants, citing the 1993 Flores v. Reno Supreme Courtroom opinion authored by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia that famous, “It’s nicely established that the Fifth Modification entitles aliens to due strategy of legislation in deportation proceedings.”
“Are you saying that by invoking the Alien Enemies Act that undocumented immigrants will not be entitled to these due course of rights beneath the Fifth Modification?” Karl requested.
“We’re following the principles of the Alien Enemies Act. Once more, I believe this administration has adopted the legislation. They’re utilizing statutes enacted by Congress, signed by a president, to take away terrorists from this nation. I am not saying, you realize — I am not saying, I am not arguing proper right here that no person ought to get due course of. I am simply saying there is a totally different course of beneath the Alien Enemies Act, and fewer of a course of than you see by Title 8,” Homan stated, referring to the immigration statute usually used to deport undocumented immigrants.
Homan additionally denied that any migrant is being labeled a gang member solely due to tattoos. On Friday, Trump posted a photograph on social media of what he says is Abrego Gracia’s hand. The MS-13 symbols look like superimposed and it’s not clear if the opposite tattoos have any hyperlink to the gang.
“Tattoos are certainly one of many components that is going to find out somebody’s in a gang. That is not the one one,” Homan stated. “What I am saying is you possibly can’t ignore a tattoo. That is, that is yet one more issue that leads you to imagine possibly it is a gang member. It is simply not primarily based on tattoos. It is primarily based on quite a lot of different issues, however tattoos, certainly one of many. However nobody’s eliminated simply due to a tattoo.”
