Rep. Watson Coleman Statement on Return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to U.S. to Face Criminal Charges
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman issued the following statement regarding the news that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported and imprisoned in El Salvador, is being returned to the United States to face criminal charges.
“It is reassuring to see that the Trump administration has the ability to return people they have wrongfully deported and imprisoned in El Salvador, despite lying to the public, the press, Congress and the courts for months about their inability to do so. I look forward to the swift return of all others who were wrongfully deported and imprisoned without being afforded due process of law.
“This has always been about the man’s rights, not the man himself. Everyone in this country is afforded the right to due process. When that right is violated, it is a miscarriage of justice. Rights are not reserved only for people we like, or deem worthy. They are universal. Without this protection we would have no means of distinguishing the guilty from the innocent, and the rule of law would be reduced to the fiat of kings.
“If Kilmar Abrego Garcia is found guilty of the crimes he has been charged with — and these charges are serious — he must be held accountable. Upholding the rule of law does not only mean that those who break it should face justice, it also means that those who are protected by it — the people — should not have to live in fear of a weaponized legal system based not on the facts of a case, but the temper of a vindictive president.”