WASHINGTON – The controversial deportation has opened up a rift within the Democrats about how aggressively he will pursue President Donald Trump on one of his biggest political strengths.
Some members of the party have accused Maryland resident Kilmer Abrego Garcia of violating court orders without justification. But others have tried to shift their focus to economic concerns amid the president’s tariff policies and sustained high-price whipping, still opposed to Trump’s actions.
Trump officials initially admitted that Abrego Garcia, who was subject to a withholding order preventing his expulsion to El Salvador, was removed to his home country due to “administrative errors.” The administration claims he is a gang member and deserves deportation.
The Supreme Court did not accept that rationale and ordered the administration to “promote” a return to the United States last week, prompting judges to request daily updates on all progress.
D-Md. Senator Chris Van Hollen is one of the outspoken Democrats in the Abrego Garcia case and is visiting El Salvador this week to promote his release. Additionally, other Congressional Democrats, such as Maxwell Frost of Florida, Jassamine Ansari of Arizona, and Delia Ramirez of Illinois, have offered to help Van Hollen or travel to El Salvador himself.
“The Trump administration is clearly violating American court orders,” Van Hollen said.
However, other Democrats have avoided weighting the issue. Or they provided a calm response when asked about it.
As Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a lawsuit Wednesday challenging Trump’s drastic tariffs, he could hardly say anything about the Abrego Garcia case when asked to put pressure on his weight.
“This is the distraction of the day. It’s the art of distraction,” said potential Newsom, the 2028 presidential candidate. “Here we are the jigg and the zag. This is the argument they want. This is the 80-20 issue they described.”
While noting that the government must adhere to court orders and the rule of law, he added, “It’s exactly the argument they want because they don’t want this discussion about tariffs. They don’t want to be held responsible for today’s market.”
A CNBC poll released Thursday found that the majority of Americans have approved Trump’s handling of the tropical border with Mexico (53%) and “deportation of illegal immigrants” (52%). However, his numbers are underwater on economic issues, with 57% disapproving tariffs on goods from other countries and 60% disapproving inflation handling and cost of living.
As a result, some Democrats prefer to avoid talking about immigration and instead focus on the economy. We see this as the issue that is the best way to regain support among Trump’s 2024 victory and voters lost last fall.
“I think it’s wrong to concentrate democratic opposition on borders and immigration on issues that have continued to support how Trump’s lawns and people treat him,” said one Democratic operative who spoke openly about the delicate topic on condition of anonymity. “And the issue that most voters consider Democrats to be particularly weak and focus all opposition on the issue is the one that focuses on that perception.”
The second Democratic strategist said the Trump administration had “space to fight back on multiple fronts,” but stressed that “the strongest contrast” was in economic trouble by promoting the message that he was working for the “billionaire boys club.”
The strategist said, “Price, costs and the economy are the best things for voters yesterday, today and next November.”
The administration released a new document on Wednesday detailing allegations of Abrego Garcia’s gang bond. He denied, and his wife sought a temporary restraining order against him in 2021.
Still, Democrat poller Natalie Jackson said in X that the evidence would make him a “bad poster child” for the Democratic lawsuit against Trump — even if he didn’t deserve the treatment he received — the party needs a “better “hero” for the rightful process” than Abrego Garcia.
Other Democrats say reluctant to criticize Trump for a particular issue represents a mentality that regularly places the party on the rear foot and appears to be voting-tested rather than operating on a conviction.
“The fact that Chris Van Hollen will fly to El Salvador is extraordinary and it’s a shame that it’s not the first instinct of all Democrats,” said Kat Abugazare, a liberal advocate and influencer who is challenging Rep. Jan Shakowski in the deep blue district.
In an interview, Abugazare said Democrats are treating Trump’s actions as “normal” politics.
She argued that the incident was far more common than Abrego Garcia.
“If they can’t empathize with the human level, then at least if they can remove the legitimate process of one group, do they need to worry about what they will do for another person? Abugazare said, “Authoritarianism doesn’t stop at the first target.”