Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized the Trump administration Monday, calling its deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia a “gross violation of due process” and demanding his immediate return to the United States.
Schumer’s statement followed comments from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele during a high-profile visit to the White House, where Bukele and former President Donald Trump celebrated their joint efforts to deport suspected gang members and violent offenders from the U.S. to El Salvador.
“President Bukele’s comment today is pure nonsense,” Schumer said. “The law is clear, due process was grossly violated, and the Supreme Court has clearly spoken that the Trump administration must facilitate and effectuate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
Garcia’s case was not detailed in the official White House statement. However, Schumer underscored the broader implications of the administration’s actions. “Due process and the rule of law are cornerstones of American society for citizens and noncitizens alike,” he said. “Not to follow that is dangerous and outrageous. A threat to one is a threat to all.”
At the White House, Trump and Bukele praised their alliance for helping to deport what they called “scores of violent illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gang members, and other sick criminals.” The administration released a list of individuals removed from the U.S., highlighting alleged affiliations with MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gangs, and convictions for crimes including rape, homicide, sexual assault of minors, and weapons charges.
Among those named were Salvadoran nationals such as César Humberto López-Larios—described as one of MS-13’s original “Twelve Apostles of the Devil”—and Venezuelan nationals like Maiker Espinoza Escalona, convicted of human trafficking and prostitution.
While the White House positioned the deportations as a victory for public safety, Schumer’s response signals continued friction over immigration enforcement tactics and the legal standards applied to deportation cases.
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