James Comer tells Democrats that taxpayers won’t pay for El Salvador visits to Kilmar Abrego Garcia

A House committee chair told Democrats if they want to make the pilgrimage to El Salvador to visit MS-13 gang suspect Kilmar Abrego Garcia, they’ll have to foot the bill on their own.

Rep. James Comer, who leads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told two Democrats he won’t authorize taxpayer funding to cover a trip they’d signaled they wanted to make.

He called it “absurd” for Reps. Robert Garcia of California and Maxwell Frost of Florida to want taxpayers to pay for a trip “to meet with foreign gang members.”

“I will not approve a single dime of taxpayer funds for use on the excursion you have requested,” the Kentucky Republican told the two Democrats.

Mr. Abrego Garcia was an illegal immigrant to the U.S. whom an immigration judge found likely to have been a member of MS-13. Another immigration judge ordered him deported, but also found that because he claimed to have been threatened by the gang Barrio 18 when he had previously lived in El Salvador, he could not be sent back to that specific country.

On March 15, he was deported to El Salvador anyway and turned over to that country’s government, which put him in its terrorist prison.

He has become the latest fad for Democrats seeking to show resistance to President Trump.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, made a pilgrimage to El Salvador and managed to get a visit with Mr. Abrego Garcia on Thursday.