Congress Must Bring Kilmar Home — With or Without Trump
As a 30-year political activist, co-founder of Indivisible Chicago — the largest Indivisible chapter in the country — and CEO of Do What Matters, I’ve spent my career fighting for democracy, justice, and the rule of law. I’ve watched administrations come and go, but never stayed silent in the face of injustice. During Trump’s first administration, I also directed the Chicago Families Belong Together Rally, sponsored by Indivisible Chicago and the Chicago ACLU, which attracted 70,000 participants to one of the largest national rallies ever held to protest Trump’s cruel immigration policies.
That’s why I’m speaking up for Kilmar Ábrego Garcia now.
Kilmar Ábrego Garcia, wrongfully deported to El Salvador, is a young man whose life has been derailed by bureaucratic cruelty and political cowardice. The case is so clear-cut that even the United States Supreme Court has ordered his return. So why is he still stranded abroad, grievously injured by both U.S. and Salvadoran authorities?
Simple: Donald Trump doesn’t want him back.
That may sound harsh — until you remember this is the same man who separated babies from their parents, put asylum seekers in cages, and treats the Constitution like an outdated brochure from a democracy he no longer intends to run.
The truth is, if President Biden could negotiate the return of wrongfully detained Americans from Vladimir Putin’s Russia, surely Donald Trump could negotiate the return of an innocent young man from El Salvador. But Trump, surrounded by his MAGA sycophants and beholden to his executive branch puppetmasters, won’t lift a finger to correct the injustice. Instead, he rolls over and shows his belly to Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s tech-bro authoritarian-in-chief.
Some alpha dog.
But here’s some light at the end of this nightmarish tunnel: Congress doesn’t need Trump’s permission to act. It’s time for the law-abiding members of Congress — especially Democrats — to take the lead.
The Power of the Purse — and the Moral High Ground
Congress controls the nation’s checkbook. El Salvador receives millions in U.S. assistance every year — development aid, security funding, and economic support. All of it flows through foreign appropriations bills that Congress writes, amends, and passes.
If Bukele wants U.S. taxpayer money, he can start by respecting U.S. law and complying with the Supreme Court’s directive. Congress can add a simple condition to the next spending package: No funds to the Bukele government unless Kilmar Ábrego García is returned to U.S. soil.
That’s not political brinkmanship. That’s fidelity to the rule of law.
Hearings, Headlines, and Heat
Congressional Democrats should hold public hearings on the administration’s refusal to follow a lawful court order. Let the country hear how the executive branch obstructs justice and how the Salvadoran government is enabling that defiance.
Call witnesses, bring in constitutional scholars, immigration attorneys, and human rights advocates, and let the public see how weak men in high places can ruin lives through inaction.
And let the media do what it does best: amplify the shame.
Because here’s the thing: Bukele is deeply sensitive about his global image. He wants to be seen as a modern reformer, a forward-thinking disruptor — El Salvador’s answer to Elon Musk with a full beard. But if he refuses to cooperate with the U.S. legal system and continues to defy the Supreme Court’s directive, then Congress should be more than happy to trash that brand.
While Bukele might be happy to tweet authoritarian bromance poetry for Trump’s benefit, his hubris may not serve him well in the long run, especially if Congress chooses to expose his obstruction as part of a broader 2026 campaign message about protecting American values and the rule of law.
Magnitsky and the MAGA Enablers
Congress can also pressure the Treasury Department to investigate human rights violations and impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on Salvadoran officials involved in harming Kilmar or obstructing his return. While the power to implement these sanctions lies with the executive branch, a public demand from Congress, especially from a coalition of Democrats and rule-of-law Republicans (or at least Republicans with guts), could make it impossible to ignore. In short, Congress can remind Americans that the administration can’t just shrug its shoulders and say it can do nothing.
Simultaneously, lawmakers can introduce resolutions condemning the Trump administration’s contempt for the courts and outlining a formal path for oversight.
Let’s not forget: when the executive branch ignores the judiciary, we stop being a democracy and become a monarchy with dubiously better branding.
Democrats Must Lead — Because Trump Won’t
Donald Trump loves to talk tough. But when faced with a real test of leadership that requires him to stand up for justice rather than placate authoritarians, he collapses faster than a cheap lawn chair.
He won’t challenge Bukele. He won’t defend Kilmar. He won’t follow the Supreme Court’s decision. He can’t. He is trapped in a vicious cycle of fear, weakness, and sycophancy.
So it’s time for Congress to step in where the president has failed.
The Call to Congressional Action
To the Democratic Caucus: You swore an oath to the Constitution, not to the mood swings of an aspiring dictator. Use your power. Pass conditional appropriations. Hold hearings. Issue subpoenas. Shine a spotlight so hot it burns through the fog of Trump’s obstruction and Bukele’s bravado.
And to every lawmaker who still believes in justice: Bring Kilmar Ábrego García home.
Because if Congress won’t enforce a Supreme Court ruling, if we let presidents ignore court orders, then we’re not just failing Kilmar — we’re failing ourselves.
Take off the gloves. Remind Trump and Bukele both that in this country, “We the People” are still boss.
