James Carville calls for Dems to make their ‘top agenda’ returning alleged MS-13 member

Democratic strategist James Carville urged Democrats on Wednesday to strongly prioritize efforts to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal migrant and alleged MS-13 gang member deported to his home nation of El Salvador.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Garcia, who illegally entered the country in 2011, on March 12, according to court records. Carville, on his “Politics War Room” podcast, suggested Garcia’s deportation was a slippery slope and that Democrats should not shy away from focusing on it.

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“People say, ‘Well, should we really fight on this turf or should we fight more on ordinary people?’ And this we should fight on — you can’t pivot to an economic issue,” Carville said. “Wait a minute, this is why we think we’re a country. And if they do this to him, it’s an old saying: ‘First they came for the you know, whatever, and then whatever, and then they came for me.’”

“You know why you remember that saying? Because there’s wisdom in it. There’s real wisdom in it. And history has taught us that,” he continued. “And first they came for him, and then we’re going to say no right there. And we gotta keep fighting this. I think this is worthy of being at the top agenda of things that we’re going to fight over is get this guy back home.”

Co-host Al Hunt responded that he “completely agree[d]” with Carville.

Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, with the backing of others in his party, requested a meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to advocate for Garcia’s return. Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday but said the government did not permit his request to meet with Garcia, Axios reported.

He also met with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa rather than Bukele, according to Axios.

CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings criticized Democrats Tuesday for their plans to travel to El Salvador to bring Garcia back to the U.S.

“Our opposition is apparently currently organizing congressional delegations to go to El Salvador to try to bring illegal aliens back to the United States,” Jennings said. “It’s politically crazy! … It’s political malpractice to send Democrat members of Congress to El Salvador to retrieve illegal aliens.”

President Donald Trump has faced pushback from Democrats for deporting Garcia. The Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. should “facilitate” his return, but the Trump administration is arguing it is not required to, saying he should remain in El Salvador due to his alleged links to MS-13 and previous deportation orders from 2019.

Bukele also asserted Monday during a White House meeting with Trump that he will not return Garcia to the United States.

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