Democrats Planning Visit to Salvadoran Prison Holding Deported MS-13 Member

Two prominent House Democrats are working to arrange an official congressional trip to a prison in El Salvador where deported individuals, including alleged gang members, are being sent by the Trump administration, according to Axios.

Numerous Democratic lawmakers in the House have quietly indicated they would like to join the trip as a way to express disapproval of the administration’s immigration enforcement practices, Axios reported.

However, the formation of an official congressional delegation, or "CODEL," requires approval from a Republican-led committee. As Axios noted, “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.” This designation is critical because it provides “crucial oversight powers and security resources” for the visiting lawmakers.

Representatives Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) have formally asked House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) for authorization to lead such a delegation to El Salvador. Their request, documented in a letter obtained by Axios, centers on the detention of Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the country’s high-security Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT).

Although Axios initially reported that Abrego Garcia was being detained “despite the Supreme Court ordering him to be returned to the U.S.,” the actual ruling states that the U.S. government must attempt to “facilitate” his return—not guarantee it.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi have both said that Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele informed U.S. officials that returning Abrego Garcia is not within his power. Abrego Garcia, identified as an MS-13 member, is an El Salvador citizen who had entered the U.S. unlawfully.

Garcia and Frost emphasized that an official visit would enable “Committee Members to conduct a welfare check on Mr. Abrego Garcia, as well as others held at CECOT.” The lawmakers stated they are “prepared to travel as soon as possible” and would “gladly include any Republican Members of the [Oversight] Committee who wish to participate.”

In related developments, Axios reported that Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) recently asked to meet with President Bukele regarding Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident. Van Hollen announced plans to leave for El Salvador on Wednesday and expressed a desire to personally check on Abrego Garcia’s condition.

During Bukele’s recent state visit to the U.S., former President Trump praised his efforts to combat violent crime, highlighting the construction of modern, high-security prisons such as CECOT, which houses dangerous MS-13 affiliates deported from the U.S.

In an interview with Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy, Trump suggested his administration might explore using El Salvador’s prison infrastructure to detain violent “homegrown” offenders from the U.S. “We are using [President Bukele’s] system because we’re getting rid of our criminals out of the United States,” Trump told Campos-Duffy.

Campos-Duffy asked, “Could we use it for our own violent criminals?”

Trump responded, “I call them homegrown criminals… We are looking into it, and we want to do it.”

The legal basis for such a move remains uncertain, especially given potential constitutional limits on transferring U.S. citizens to foreign correctional facilities.