BALTIMORE — A man who brutally beat two elderly pro-life advocates escaped jail time on Thursday after a judge sentenced him to just one year of home detention and three years of probation.
The sentence for 28-year-old Patrick Brice was handed down by Baltimore City Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant. Brice was convicted earlier this year after he left 73-year-old Mark Crosby and 84-year-old Richard Schaefer bloodied outside of a Planned Parenthood on May 26, 2023. 
After the trial, Crosby told The Daily Wire that he was not surprised by the outcome. 
“Baltimore City is criminal-friendly. It&#8217;s not victim-friendly at all, especially if you&#8217;re a senior,” he said outside of the Elijah Cummings courthouse. “Judges do not like pro-lifers. They don&#8217;t like us saving babies, I don&#8217;t know why.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Pro-life advocate Mark Crosby reacts after his attacker gets one year of home detention for kicking him and punching him in the face. Prosecutors wanted 10 years in prison, but a Baltimore judge imposed no prison time. <a href="https://t.co/xBQHIUkh8s">pic.twitter.com/xBQHIUkh8s</a>
— Leif Le Mahieu (@leif_lemahieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/leif_lemahieu/status/1953562675801170304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He said the day he was beaten was “the most glorious” of his life and that he was happy to shed his own blood and suffer for Jesus. 
After the attack, Crosby was treated for a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs. Crosby says that the attack left him with photophobia, meaning he has to cover his right eye on sunny days and from very bright lights. 
Crosby, a devout Catholic who was wearing a crucifix during the sentencing, brought photos of his bloodied face and the stained shirt he was wearing the day of the attack. The shirt was ripped from being cut off during shock trauma. 
Brice was convicted in February on two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. He dodged a first-degree assault charge in both a jury trial and a later bench trial in May. 
Bryant sentenced him to one year of home detention, which means he will be allowed to travel for work or medical purposes. He will get three years of probation after that and cannot go near an abortion facility or pro-life clinic as well. 
State prosecutors requested a total of 10 years in prison, asking that the judge send a “strong message of deterrence” against attacking people in broad daylight over their political and religious views.
Schaefer and Crosby both gave victim statements during the sentencing.
Schaefer said that “no matter how this goes,” he would be back at Planned Parenthood. He also flatly denied that he had done anything to provoke Brice, as suggested by his lawyer. 
Terrell Roberts, a lawyer, read Crosby&#8217;s victim impact statement. 
In the statement, Crosby asked for a lengthy prison sentence due to the “brutality of the attack” and that he “kicked me in the face like a football player kicking a field goal.” 
During the trial, Brice said that he was sorry for what he did and said that he “snapped” based on a comment he claimed Schaefer made to him that was racial in nature. He said, “I was having a bad day,” and that he was not an abortion activist. 
“I really am sorry,” he said. 
Brice’s lawyer claimed that the attack was not “politically motivated” and said that his client had lost jobs and a relationship because of the case. 
“Justice was not served in this case,” Roberts told The Daily Wire. “Sentencing, I thought, would end up right where it was because they were going to give them all the slack in the world.” 
Roberts said a failed application of the law by Bryant ended with Brice’s acquittal on first-degree assault.
Brice declined to make an official comment to reporters after the sentencing, but indicated he would be reaching out. 
The attack was captured on surveillance video that shows Schaeffer and Brice engaging in a heated argument outside of the downtown Baltimore Planned Parenthood facility. The video then shows Brice tackling Schaeffer into a potted plant. Crosby, who was standing across the street, then runs over, and Brice pushes him to the ground. Brice then straddles Crosby and punches him in the face before standing up and kicking him in the head. 
Schaefer and Crosby regularly go outside the downtown Baltimore Planned Parenthood facility to urge women not to get abortions. The attack did not deter their efforts, and they have both returned to the same Planned Parenthood in the months following the incident. 
Crosby believes that Brice should have been charged with a hate crime because he says he yanked a crucifix he was wearing off his neck and threw it into the bushes. Brice denied having any animosity toward Christians.

MixCollage-15-May-2025-02-47-PM-395

Man Who Brutally Beat Elderly Pro-Lifers Dodges Prison Time

Baltimore

Crime

Maryland

Planned Parenthood

Pro-Life Movement

The University of Maryland has agreed to pay Palestine Legal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) $100,000 after the university first defended, but then briefly tried to reschedule, a rally on the anniversary of Hamas&#8217;s October 7, 2023 attacks by a campus group that advocates &#8220;the right of Palestinians to carry out armed struggle.&#8221;
The public university&#8217;s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter “will spend every dollar we receive from the $100,000 penalty for banning our vigil on organizing and supporting the movement for a free Palestine,” group member Daniela Colombi said in a <a href="https://www.cair.com/press_releases/palestine-legal-cair-announce-historic-100k-settlement-from-u-of-maryland-for-unlawfully-suppressing-pro-palestinian-student-speech/">statement</a>.
&#8220;Capitulating to bad faith, anti-Palestinian pressure will cost you,&#8221; Ahmad Kaki, a CAIR attorney, added, calling it a &#8220;transparent censorship attempt&#8221;—although even as CAIR fought for the right of students to demonstrate on October 7 on free speech grounds, it tried to force the university&#8217;s medical school to <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/01/umd-medical-school-stands-by-israeli-surgeon-after-cair-played-role-canceling-his-talk/">cancel</a> a lecture by an Israeli surgeon.
CAIR noted that the Maryland public institution agreed to pay the anti-Israel group even as the Trump administration has extracted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/columbia-university-retreats-as-trump-scores-historic-220m-settlement">massive</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ucla-will-pay-6-million-to-settle-antisemitic-discrimination-complaints">payments</a> from other universities for failing to protect Jews from antisemitism on campus. 
 University president Darryll Pines had in fact gone to great lengths to allow Students for Justice in Palestine to rally on the anniversary of the terror attack — an event advertised as &#8220;honor[ing] the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-maryland-will-let-anti-israel-group-hold-oct-7-rally">150,000+ martyrs</a> who have lost their lives within the past year&#8221; — including his personally echoing the false claim that Israel had killed 150,000 people, which not even Hamas contended.
But that freedom appeared to extend only to certain groups. In an email obtained by the Daily Wire, Pines threatened to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-of-maryland-prez-said-anti-israel-protesters-could-rally-on-10-7-then-threatened-to-call-police-on-jew-for-complaining">call the police on a Jewish woman</a> if she did not stop emailing faculty and staff with complaints about antisemitism.
When Jewish critics raised that double standard by wondering how Pines, who is black, would respond if it were a KKK rally instead of an anti-Israel rally, or confederate flags instead of Palestinian ones on the campus&#8217;s central quad, the rhetorical device seemed to go over Pines&#8217; head: he took it as a literal assertion that there was actually a KKK rally planned for October 7, and suddenly his prior First Amendment concerns no longer seemed to apply. 
Patricia Perillo, the University of Maryland’s Vice President of Student Affairs, later said in an affidavit that “on August 26, 2024, an individual emailed University President Darryll J. Pines, who is Black, advising that if the University was going to permit SJP’s event to go forward, ‘then my Klan Rally with sheets and a noose are also approved.’”
Pines cancelled all events on October 7, not because of his aversion to the anti-Israel event, but because of what he suggested was anti-black racism and threats by Jewish people, requiring the cancellation of events to protect the safety of the Palestine activists, according to prior Daily Wire reporting and CAIR&#8217;s summary of the lawsuit.
&#8220;The University <a href="https://palestinelegal.org/s/Defendants-Opposition-to-Plaintiffs-Motion-for-TRO-and-PI.pdf">responded to CAIR and Palestine Legal’s lawsuit</a> by claiming that it was forced to cancel all events due to racist threats from pro-Israel individuals, who had threatened to organize a KKK rally and come to campus armed if SJP’s vigil was allowed to proceed. At the hearing, University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell testified that pro-Israel individuals even threatened UMD President Darryl Pines’ family and used the N-word,&#8221; CAIR said in its statement heralding the settlement.
But the postponement of all October 7 gatherings on campus was short-lived. Despite Pines&#8217; general sympathy to the group, SJP sued his university in federal court, backed by lawyers from CAIR. On October 2, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte wrote that the Palestinian group would suffer &#8220;irreparable harm&#8221; if it could not congregate on that date to mark &#8220;what it calls Israel&#8217;s most recent &#8216;genocidal campaign,'&#8221; and ordered the event <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-says-university-must-let-anti-israel-group-hold-oct-7-event">reinstated</a>.
In its statement on the settlement, CAIR cast the planned event as a &#8220;vigil&#8221; somberly mourning the deaths of people in the Israel-Hamas war, but that is not what contemporaneous documents indicate. SJP&#8217;s national headquarters had called for a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-student-group-is-calling-for-a-week-of-rage-beginning-october-7">&#8220;Week of Rage&#8221;</a> coinciding with the anniversary of the Palestinian terrorist group&#8217;s slaughter of 1,200 Israelis. 
An application for reserving campus space, filed August 1, contained only a nine-word description of the event (&#8220;One year since the genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza&#8221;), according to documents obtained under public records laws, and Jewish critics have raised questions about whether the group failed to properly comply with the university&#8217;s rules for getting events approved, which would have given Pines a mechanism for blocking the event. 
Pines dismissed complaints from Jews by claiming that the group had &#8220;condemned the horrific attack by Hamas,&#8221; but a Daily Wire review of SJP&#8217;s social media showed no such sentiment. SJP instead said on Instagram that it supports the “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_WntvnPe2D/?img_index=5">right of Palestinians to carry out armed struggle,</a>” and “unequivocally states that the Zionist state of Israel has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9yDEB3PJv6/?img_index=5">no right to exist</a>.” 
Pines was so invested in defending the anti-Israel group that he resorted to academic misconduct, sending a Jewish critic what he said was original &#8220;faculty research&#8221; from Middle East scholars on campus that proved that the Palestinian flag was not objectionable. The Daily Wire found that what he called the &#8220;consensus opinion from these faculty scholars,&#8221; whom he claimed he personally consulted with, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-maryland-president-plagiarized-from-chatgpt-to-justify-anti-israel-oct-7-rally">actually came from ChatGPT</a>.
That misrepresentation spurred The Daily Wire to check Pines&#8217; past academic work for plagiarism, and it found that nearly one-third of a 5,000-word paper was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/university-of-maryland-president-copied-rocket-science-paper-from-aussie-student">copied and pasted from an Australian student</a>, who was never referenced anywhere in the paper. There was evidence that Pines (or his co-author) had not accidentally mixed up someone else&#8217;s work with their own, because the British spellings in the Australian version had — with one exception that was missed — been changed to the American versions.
Pines acknowledged &#8220;recurrent language&#8221; but denied misconduct, and the state&#8217;s university system opened a review into his academic integrity. Ten months later, the review panel has <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/education/higher-education/university-of-maryland-darryll-pines-plagiarism-AHZESFHKN5HA5DLTEF32CER46E/">issued no findings</a>.
The University of Maryland did not answer The Daily Wire&#8217;s questions, but said in a statement that &#8220;the litigation in federal court has been mutually resolved through a settlement agreement with no admission of liability by the University.&#8221;
&#8220;UMD SJP is a registered University student organization in good standing which has had more than 100 events on campus since October 7, 2023, for which it consistently followed the University’s policies and procedures governing such events,&#8221; it added. &#8220;The University reiterates its support for the First Amendment and particularly making campus space available for individuals and groups of all viewpoints to share their opinions pursuant to its Guidelines for Expressive Activities and the First Amendment. The University takes very seriously its responsibilities for the safety and security of all University students and other members of its community.&#8221;
A top senator this week <a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-to-long-investigate-cair-for-ties-to-terrorists">called</a> for CAIR&#8217;s tax-exempt status to be examined due to its &#8220;ties to terrorists.&#8221;

UMD Students for Justice in Palestine / Instagram

University of Maryland Will Pay Anti-Israel Group That Planned Campus Rally On October 7

Anti-Semitism

Education

Free Speech

Israel

Universities

University of Maryland

The man who brutally beat two elderly pro-life sidewalk advocates outside of a Planned Parenthood will be sentenced in Baltimore on Thursday. 
Patrick Brice, 28, could face years in prison for attacking then-73-year-old Mark Crosby and 84-year-old Richard Schaefer on May 26, 2023, as they urged women not to get abortions. The attack was captured on surveillance footage, but Brice was not arrested until July 2024. 
In the video, released by the Baltimore Police Department, Brice can be seen having a heated argument with Schaefer before tackling him into a potted plant. Crosby then runs up and is thrown to the ground by Brice. Brice, who is 6’5, then punches Crosby in the face before standing up, kicking him in the head, and walking off. 
After the attack, Crosby was treated for a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs. Crosby says that the attack left him with photophobia, meaning he has to cover his right eye on sunny days and from very bright lights. 
Brice was convicted earlier this year of two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. He dodged a more serious first-degree assault charge in both a jury trial and a bench trial.
A second-degree assault conviction in Maryland can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine. It would be up to the judge to determine whether the sentences would be served one at a time or concurrently. 
The reckless endangerment convictions could carry penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. 
Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant, who will sentence Brice, claimed during the trial that video footage could suggest that Crosby was looking to join in a fight after he ran up after seeing Schaefer tackled to the ground, Catholic Review <a href="https://catholicreview.org/in-retrial-judge-acquits-man-charged-in-assault-on-pro-life-protester/">reported</a>. 
Crosby has repeatedly said that Baltimore authorities have dragged their feet in bringing his attacker to justice. He says that he was prohibited from showing pictures of his beaten face at the trial and that Brice’s defense attorneys suggested he and Schaeffer were racist.

MixCollage-06-Aug-2025-02-41-PM-5227

Baltimore Man Who Brutally Beat Pro-Lifers Faces Years In Prison

President Trump’s signal policy — and the one that is working the best for him — is immigration.
Polling shows that President Trump&#8217;s immigration policy is highly popular. It&#8217;s not just because Americans are sick and tired of the open borders policy of the Biden administration. It&#8217;s also because Democrats continue to take the worst possible tack when it comes to this sort of stuff.
The tack they should be taking on immigration right now is that President Trump is right to close the border, that he is correct to unleash ICE, to go find criminal illegal immigrants and deport them — but we need to obey the law.
That would be the intelligent approach to this particular issue. But Democrats have decided that the smart approach is to shove their heads directly up their own a**es. What that means is that they are instead going out of their way to praise MS-13 members and suggest that President Trump is wrong to try and deport all of those people.
This led to the awkward situation of absolute dolt Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland — who has the IQ of a turnip — going down to El Salvador to meet with a man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is a suspected MS-13 member and whose wife accused him of allegedly beating her.
Garcia was deported to El Salvador, but the Trump DOJ said it was a processing issue mistake. Thus, Democrats should have said, “Listen, everyone deserves due process. If you are here on a green card, you deserve whatever the due process is for a green card holder. If you are here as an illegal immigrant, you deserve whatever due process is available to you under the law. Due process shouldn&#8217;t be violated; it&#8217;s sacrosanct in the United States.”
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2183-pope-francis-dead-what-comes-next-member-exclusive?elementPosition=2&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
That&#8217;s the argument they should have made. Instead, because they have an internal emotional necessity to valorize people who are “victims” of the Trump administration, they&#8217;ve decided to treat people who are actually quite bad with Sympathy. This led to the awkward spectacle of Chris Van Hollen being asked if the person he visited down in El Salvador and had drinks with was a member of MS-13.
And he couldn’t answer the question.
“What Donald Trump is trying to do here is change the subject,” Van Hollen <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/van-hollen-deflects-twice-after-cnns-dana-bash-asks-point-blank-if-abrego-garcia-is-a-member-of-ms-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN’s Dana Bash</a>. “The subject at hand is that he and his administration are defying a court order to give Abrego Garcia his due process rights. They are trying to litigate on social media what they should be doing in the courts. They need to put up or shut up in the courts.”
“But since you were the one person to have met with him and since this is a thing, you say, on social media, it&#8217;s what we hear from Donald Trump and Republicans every day all day long, you didn&#8217;t ask him?” Bash asked.
“I didn&#8217;t ask him that because I know what his answer is,” Van Hollen answered. “What he told me was he was sad and traumatized that he was being imprisoned because he has committed no crimes.”
“Sad and traumatized,” says the likely MS-13 member. You can see Van Hollen trying to backtrack and turn it into a due process argument, which is a better argument for Democrats. 
The Supreme Court, over the course of the last 72 hours, handed out <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/19/politics/supreme-court-alien-enemies-act-order/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an order</a> for the Trump administration to respond to an emergency appeal and stated, “The government is directed not to remove any members of the putative class detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.”
Those would be the people being detained under the so-called Alien Enemies Act, which is an 18th-century law designed to allow the expeditious removal of people who are declared wartime enemies by the executive branch of the government.
There was <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a1007_22p3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a dissent</a> by Justices Alito and Justice Thomas, saying:
<blockquote>Shortly after midnight yesterday, the Court hastily and prematurely granted unprecedented emergency relief. &#8230; Although the order does not define the “putative class,” it appears the Court means all members of the class that the habeas petitioners sought to have certified, namely “all non-citizens in custody in the Northern District of Texas who were, are, or would be subject to the March 2025 Presidential Proclamation entitled “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of the United States by Tren de Aragua and/or its implementation.</blockquote>
Alito and Thomas criticized the Court for doing all this by saying that even though it&#8217;s not clear the court had jurisdiction, it&#8217;s questionable whether the applicants complied with their obligation to seek emergency injunctive relief in the district court, and that the Court of Appeals is already considering the issue of emergency relief.
They wrote:
<blockquote>The papers before us, while alleging that the applicants were in imminent danger of removal, provided little concrete support for that allegation. …In sum, literally in the middle of the night, the Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order. I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order at midnight was necessary or appropriate. </blockquote>
I think what the rest of the Court would say is, “We wouldn&#8217;t think that was necessary or appropriate either, except for the fact that we&#8217;ve now had situations in which the Trump administration has allegedly ignored the orders of lower courts not to do a deportation and, instead, went ahead with the deportation.”
That&#8217;s the argument being made on the other side of the aisle.
One of the things that should become clear to Republicans at this point is that doing things in meticulous fashion is likely to lead to longer-lasting victories than doing them as one-offs and in quick fashion. That’s because, when it comes to morality, the Trump administration is not only correct, they are unbelievably correct.
Tom Homan, our bulldog border czar, slammed Van Hollen for his sympathy for MS-13 members, <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=523850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, “What shocks me is that he’s remained silent on the travesty that happened on our southern border. Many people die. Thousands of people die. I met with hundreds of angel moms and dads who buried their children that were murdered by an illegal alien. How many angel moms and dads has he met in the state of Maryland? That&#8217;s what concerns me.”
When it comes to the politics of immigration, Republicans are absolutely right.
But, in addition, if they practice the law correctly, they’ll have longer-lasting victories, because otherwise many of the things they are trying to do might get reversed on appeal, and that would be bad for the Trump administration.
I&#8217;m rooting for the Trump administration to do everything correctly so its policies work to their utmost.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen Meets With Wrongly Imprisoned Man Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia in El Salvador

Deportation, Due Process, And Democrat Delusions

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

Due Process

El Salvador

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Opinion

Supreme Court

U.S. Senate

After multiple attempts, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) met Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant deported from the United States and sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele shared photos on Thursday evening of Van Hollen, Abrego Garcia, and one other individual meeting and having a conversation over drinks. He did so in a post on X mocking the idea that Abrego Garcia was perhaps dead or being kept in inhumane conditions.
&#8220;Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the &#8216;death camps&#8217; &amp; &#8216;torture&#8217;, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!&#8221; Bukele said.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” &amp; “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹 <a href="https://t.co/r6VWc6Fjtn">pic.twitter.com/r6VWc6Fjtn</a>
&mdash; Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) <a href="https://twitter.com/nayibbukele/status/1913028548001923259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Van Hollen posted another photo of himself with Abrego Garcia, albeit with no margaritas.
&#8220;I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return,&#8221; Van Hollen said.
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I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. <a href="https://t.co/U9y2gZpxCb">pic.twitter.com/U9y2gZpxCb</a>
&mdash; Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/1913034619710034094?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador earlier this week, calling Abrego Garcia a &#8220;constituent&#8221; who endured an &#8220;abduction and unlawful deportation.&#8221;
The senator <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/1912661294475247839" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters on Wednesday that El Salvador&#8217;s government rejected his request to check on Abrego Garcia and, earlier on Thursday, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-driving-el-salvador-prison-stopped-soldiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocked</a> by soldiers in an attempt to visit the prisoner at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). Van Hollen later <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/427b4L23yiA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he intended to &#8220;keep at this&#8221; until he could make sure Abrego Garcia had his &#8220;rights to due process.&#8221;
Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old man from El Salvador who entered the United States unlawfully, but got permission from a judge to stay in 2019, had been living in Maryland when he was detained and deported last month as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration.
This particular deportation has become the subject of a high-profile legal fight, which remains ongoing after the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling last week that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Abrego Garcia&#8217;s return.
Although the government said in court the deportation was an &#8220;administrative error,&#8221; White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> the claim, pinning it on a “saboteur” within the Justice Department.
The Trump administration also has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, which has been designated as a foreign terror organization. Abrego Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-court-trump-deportation-el-salvador-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied that their client is part of the gang, but the government has publicly released <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1396906/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documents</a> to substantiate the affiliation.
In an order on Thursday refusing to stop a judge&#8217;s demand for Trump administration officials to testify on whether they are making an effort to &#8220;facilitate&#8221; getting Garcia back, a U.S. appeals court panel <a href="https://x.com/danielchaitin7/status/1912974094922121592" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;The government asserts that Abrego Garcia is a terrorist and a member of MS-13. Perhaps, but perhaps not. Regardless, he is still entitled to due process.&#8221;
More revelations have been made concerning Abrego Garcia as his case drew national attention. A newly uncovered restraining order <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deported-illegal-immigrant-who-dems-have-championed-accused-of-beating-wife-court-docs?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News+and+Commentary&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Deported+Illegal+Immigrant+Who+Dems+Have+Championed+Accused+Of+Beating+Wife%3A++Court+Docs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a> Abrego Garcia was accused of beating his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who now says they worked through the incident.
During a White House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a> with President Donald Trump, Bukele declared that he would not send Garcia back to the United States. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele said, adding, “I don’t have the power to return him.”
Shortly after revealing that Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia had met, Bukele posted again on X, <a href="https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/1913035243918864742" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, &#8220;Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.&#8221;

US Senator Chris Van Hollen

‘Sipping Margaritas’: Dem Senator Finally Meets Deported Illegal Immigrant In El Salvador

Congress

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

U.S.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said on Thursday that soldiers blocked his attempt to visit an illegal immigrant deported from the United States who is being held at a mega prison in El Salvador.
After <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/denied-el-salvador-wont-allow-dem-senator-to-see-man-deported-by-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcing</a> on Wednesday that El Salvador&#8217;s government rejected his request to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Van Hollen tried driving to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) to see the prisoner anyway. That did not work out, as Van Hollen explained in a video posted to X. He showed footage of himself and Chris Newman, the attorney for Abrego Garcia&#8217;s wife and mother, talking to soldiers at a military checkpoint.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We were just denied entry into CECOT — the notorious prison in El Salvador where Mr. Abrego Garcia is being illegally held.
We were there for one simple reason: to check on his well-being, which his family and lawyers have not been allowed to do. We won’t stop fighting. <a href="https://t.co/yG2b7N6Nvn">pic.twitter.com/yG2b7N6Nvn</a>
&mdash; Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisVanHollen/status/1912911703823483150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;These soldiers were ordered to prevent us from going any farther from this spot,&#8221; Van Hollen said in the video. &#8220;I understand we&#8217;re about 3 kilometers now from CECOT, and as you can see, they&#8217;re letting other cars go by, but they stopped us because they&#8217;re under orders not to allow us to proceed to check on the well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.&#8221;
Will Carless, a USA Today national correspondent who said he was in the same convoy as Van Hollen, <a href="https://x.com/willcarless/status/1912903754741063984" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirmed</a> the senator&#8217;s account.
Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old man from El Salvador who entered the United States unlawfully, but got permission from a judge to stay in 2019, had been living in Maryland when he was detained and deported last month as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration.
This particular deportation has become the subject of a high-profile legal fight, which remains ongoing after the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling last week that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Abrego Garcia&#8217;s return.
Although the government said in court the deportation was an &#8220;administrative error,&#8221; White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> the claim, pinning it on a “saboteur” within the Justice Department.
The Trump administration also has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, which has been designated as a foreign terror organization. Abrego Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-court-trump-deportation-el-salvador-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied that their client is part of the gang, but the government has publicly released <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1396906/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">documents</a> to substantiate the affiliation.
More revelations have been made concerning Abrego Garcia as his case drew national attention. A newly uncovered restraining order <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deported-illegal-immigrant-who-dems-have-championed-accused-of-beating-wife-court-docs?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News+and+Commentary&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Deported+Illegal+Immigrant+Who+Dems+Have+Championed+Accused+Of+Beating+Wife%3A++Court+Docs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shows</a> Abrego Garcia was accused of beating his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who now says they worked through the incident.
Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador earlier this week, calling Abrego Garcia a &#8220;constituent&#8221; who endured an &#8220;abduction and unlawful deportation,&#8221; and <a href="https://x.com/nypost/status/1912661294475247839" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> reporters on Wednesday that he met with El Salvador Vice President Félix Ulloa to discuss securing the man&#8217;s release.
During a White House <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meeting</a> with President Donald Trump, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele declared that he would not send Garcia back to the United States. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele said, adding, “I don’t have the power to return him.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-calls-surprise-briefing-with-patty-morin-whose-daughter-was-killed-by-illegal-alien?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=White+House+Calls+Surprise+Briefing+With+Patty+Morin%2C+Whose+Daughter+Was+Killed+By+Illegal+Alien" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticized</a> Van Hollen and other Democrats who have rallied in support of Abrego Garcia during press briefing on Wednesday alongside <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-the-briefing-room-an-angel-mom-begs-white-house-media-to-tell-the-truth-about-illegal-crime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patty Morin</a>, whose daughter, Rachel, 37, was raped and murdered in Maryland two years ago by another illegal immigrant from El Salvador.
“It’s appalling and sad that Senator Van Hollen and the Democrats applauding his trip to El Salvador today are incapable of having any shred of common sense or empathy for their own constituents and our citizens,” Leavitt said.

Senator Chris Van Hollen

Dem Senator Tries Visiting Deported Illegal Immigrant In El Salvador Prison, Gets Blocked By Soldiers

Illegal Immigation

World

The Trump administration is in the middle of a very hot fight with regard to a deported Salvadoran migrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant, had a deportation order placed on him. Then there was a withholding order that suggested he could not be sent back to El Salvador because Abrego Garcia claimed he feared for his life, that he would be killed in El Salvador because he&#8217;s a Salvadoran migrant with possible gang ties.
The court said the executive branch of the United States government had good cause to believe that Abrego Garcia might be a member of MS-13, a gang that President Trump has declared a terrorist organization.
Therefore, due to the withholding order, Abrego Garcia was not supposed to be on that plane, being deported back to El Salvador.
On April 4, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland directed the government to “facilitate and effectuate the return [of Abrego Garcia] to the United States.”
The Trump administration immediately filed an application to vacate the order.
The Supreme Court then ruled that the district court had the power to say that the United States government ought to “facilitate” his return to the United States, but they didn&#8217;t define the term “facilitate.” The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a949_lkhn.pdf">order stated</a>:
<blockquote>The application is granted in part and denied in part, subject to the direction of this order. Due to the administrative stay issued by THE CHIEF JUSTICE, the deadline imposed by the District Court has now passed. To that extent, the Government’s emergency application is effectively granted in part and the deadline in the challenged order is no longer effective. &#8230;
The order properly requires the Government to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador. The intended scope of the term “effectuate” in the District Court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority. The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs. For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps.</blockquote>
If that sounds vague, that’s because it&#8217;s incredibly vague. The government, under the Supreme Court order, apparently has a duty to “facilitate” his release from custody. But how exactly it&#8217;s effectuated, how that doesn&#8217;t infringe on the executive branch&#8217;s ability to perform deportations, is unclear.
That left the door open for the administration to claim, “When you say we need to ‘facilitate,’ we asked the Salvadorans and they said, ’No.’ So, I guess that&#8217;s us ‘facilitating.’”
The opposite case would be to basically demand that the Salvadoran government return this person to the United States, where he might get deported again.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2180-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
Things are getting very hot because the case has been remanded back to the district court for clarification. That very often happens. The higher court will say that a lower court needs to look at a case again and clarify what exactly it meant before the Supreme Court decides whether it was right or whether it was wrong.
Xinis has now called for the testimony of Trump administration officials who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department.
Many people across the political spectrum are saying Abrego Garcia deserves due process. And if you do the process wrong, and the court says you did the process wrong, you do actually have to facilitate his release back to the United States, not into the general population, but back to the authorities of the United States for more due process so they can check the boxes. Then the guy can be deported again.
Vice President Vance is taking the position that the administration is totally right not to facilitate due process in this particular case, essentially due to hardship.
Two things can be true at the same time: The Federal government should deport anybody who&#8217;s connected with MS-13, anybody who does not have American citizenship, who&#8217;s engaged in sympathy for anti-American views, or engages in action that is anti-American.
At the same time, there should be due process. Because if due process can be curbed for noncitizens, then due process could conceivably be curbed for citizens as well.
The question here is whether this legal fight is the fight that the administration wants to have.
It would be easy to tell the Salvadoran president to return Abrego Garcia, give him his day in court, and ship him out again. But the administration and the entire political Right have been conditioned to take the view that even admitting a mistake or doing a course-correction is a sign of weakness. That makes sense because the legacy media are willing to attack the Trump administration on any basis.
But sometimes it is better to just do the quick and easy thing and then move on to the actual priorities. In this case, it’s vital because with regard to immigration, there are important priorities.
The administration can take a legally dicey position and a politically popular position at the same time. Those two things can live in perfect harmony. Legally dicey and politically popular are constant aspects of many of the policy decisions made by leaders on both sides.
It&#8217;s a political winner for the Trump administration to say, “We want to deport illegal immigrants,” and force the Democrats into the position of defending illegal alien gang members or suspected gang members. That is a politically winning position.
But if you&#8217;re setting up a precedent where you actually want to get things done, you should be doing things the right way because it&#8217;s faster and easier to do it the right way than it is to do it the wrong way and then fight it out in the courts every step of the way.
You can win legally. You can do the right legal thing, which continues to give people the assurance that due process is carried out, gives the courts the assurance that due process is carried out, and also win the political fight.
One of the reasons I say the Trump administration should get out of its own way is that, legally, more pressing issues are occurring on the immigration front.
According to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/15/doge-ssa-immigration-trump-housing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a>, “The Trump administration is using personal data normally protected from dissemination to find undocumented immigrants where they work, study and live, often with the goal of removing them from their housing and the workforce.”
This is good and necessary. Those are the big battles the Trump administration needs to win.
Fighting the due process considerations for Abrego Garcia should not take precedence over the rest of the Trump agenda on immigration.

President Trump Meets With El Salvador President Nayib Bukele At The White House

Immigration Fight: Will The Salvadoran Illegal Immigrant Return?

gangs

illegal immigrants

JD Vance

MS-13 Gang

President Trump

Trump Administration

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced Tuesday he will travel to El Salvador to check on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member imprisoned in the Central American nation, and push for his release.
The Democrat confirmed the plan after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-ultimatum-bring-back-deported-ms-13-suspect-or-ill-go-to-el-salvador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warning</a> earlier in the week that he would make the trip if Garcia — a man residing in Maryland who was detained in March, deported, and sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center in his home country of El Salvador — was not returned to the United States.
&#8220;It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release, which is why tomorrow I am traveling to El Salvador,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://x.com/maxpcohen/status/1912280054010187815" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;My hope is to visit Kilmar and check on his wellbeing and to hold constructive conversations with government officials around his release.&#8221;
The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Garcia, who entered the United States illegally but got permission to stay in 2019, of being a member of MS-13. Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-court-trump-deportation-el-salvador-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied that their client is part of the gang. Last week, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Garcia&#8217;s return. A legal battle over Garcia&#8217;s deportation is ongoing, with the judge overseeing the case <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815.79.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordering</a> federal officials to testify on whether they are working to get Garcia back.
On Monday, White House aide Stephen Miller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> claims that Garcia was deported by mistake and contended that the withholding order the suspect received six years ago is no longer valid because the Trump administration has designated MS-13 as a foreign terror organization. And, during a White House meeting with President Donald Trump, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> that he would not send Garcia back. &#8220;How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?&#8221; Bukele said, adding, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have the power to return him.&#8221;
Van Hollen claimed in his statement that Garcia endured an &#8220;abduction and unlawful deportation&#8221; and insisted that the federal courts &#8220;ordered the safe return&#8221; of his &#8220;constituent.&#8221; The senator also said: &#8220;We must urgently continue working to return Kilmar safely home to Maryland.&#8221;
Multiple Democrats in Congress have <a href="https://x.com/yassaminansari/status/1911960635296100456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressed</a> interest in joining Van Hollen in El Salvador. Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/04/15/house-democrats-el-salvador-cecot-trump-bukele" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), fresh off a record-breaking Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spartacus-cory-booker-breaks-record-for-longest-senate-floor-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> criticizing Trump&#8217;s policies, is among those looking to make a trip to the country.
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mind-boggling-white-house-slams-dems-as-senator-threatens-el-salvador-trip-for-ms-13-suspect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Democrats when asked for a response to the &#8220;priorities&#8221; of Senate Democrats on the illegal immigration issue given Van Hollen was volunteering to visit El Salvador.
&#8220;It&#8217;s mind-boggling, the priorities of the modern-day Democratic Party. I think it&#8217;s atrocious that to have Democrats in Congress on Capitol Hill, who swear an oath to protect their constituents and to serve them in Washington, D.C., spending more time defending illegal immigrant gang members than their own constituents and law-abiding American citizens like Rachel Morin,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1912199992590168533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1912199992590168533%7Ctwgr%5Ef885b7b7ef77539db8d0f07a2004ecbab266ba79%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland mother of five, was found dead in August 2023 after she went out to exercise on a hiking trail. Earlier this week, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez — who has been identified as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador — was <a href="https://people.com/man-convicted-killing-raping-md-mom-rachel-morin-11715380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of raping and murdering Morin.
Van Hollen released a statement on Tuesday in response to the verdict.
&#8220;While the conviction of Rachel Morin’s killer will not return Rachel to her family where she rightfully belongs, this verdict brings a measure of justice that they so deserve,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-statement-on-conviction-of-rachel-morins-killer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;I’m grateful to the law enforcement officers who brought her killer into custody and for our legal process for delivering this justice. As I have said in the past, the American people deserve meaningful action to reform our broken immigration system, improve public safety, and strengthen our border security. We can do this while also supporting our immigrant communities and respecting the rights of individuals who are here legally – I am committed to doing both, and I will continue pressing my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move forward on this issue.&#8221;

Dem Senator Headed To El Salvador On Mission To Bring MS-13 Suspect Back To America

Deportations

Politics

Senate

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday &#8220;it&#8217;s mind-boggling&#8221; how far Democrats are going to defend accused illegal immigrant gang members over American citizens.
During the White House press briefing, a reporter asked Leavitt for a response to the &#8220;priorities&#8221; of Senate Democrats on the illegal immigration issue after noting how Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-ultimatum-bring-back-deported-ms-13-suspect-or-ill-go-to-el-salvador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> plans to travel to El Salvador later this week if Kilmar Abrego Garcia — an alleged MS-13 gang member who was detained last month in Maryland, deported, and sent to a prison in his home country of El Salvador — is not returned to the United States.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> on Democrats prioritizing criminal illegal alien criminals over American citizens: &quot;It&#39;s mind-boggling.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MavhBwf6nd">pic.twitter.com/MavhBwf6nd</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1912199992590168533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It&#8217;s mind-boggling, the priorities of the modern-day Democratic Party. I think it&#8217;s atrocious that to have Democrats in Congress on Capitol Hill, who swear an oath to protect their constituents and to serve them in Washington, D.C., spending more time defending illegal immigrant gang members than their own constituents and law-abiding American citizens like Rachel Morin,&#8221; Leavitt said.
Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland mother of five, was found dead in August 2023 after she went out to exercise on a hiking trail. Earlier this week, Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez — who has been identified as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador — was <a href="https://people.com/man-convicted-killing-raping-md-mom-rachel-morin-11715380" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of raping and murdering Morin.
Leavitt said that she witnessed President Donald Trump &#8220;personally on the campaign trail, and I continue to see him in his role as president of the United States, put American families first, reach out to the families of victims at the hands of illegal immigrant crime.&#8221;
She added, &#8220;Frankly, the actions and the words of the Democrat Party prove they could not care less about the American public. And maybe if they did, they&#8217;d see a bit higher approval ratings right now.&#8221;
Van Hollen issued his ultimatum on Monday, saying that he requested to speak with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, during his trip this week to the United States, and declaring that he planned to travel to El Salvador this week to check on Garcia&#8217;s condition and discuss his release if Garcia is &#8220;not home by midweek.&#8221;
Garcia &#8220;never should have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the Administration must bring him home, now,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-requests-meeting-with-president-bukele-to-discuss-return-of-kilmar-abrego-garcia-announces-intent-to-travel-to-el-salvador-this-week-if-abrego-garcia-is-not-returned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;However, since the Trump Administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action.&#8221;
The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Garcia, who illegally entered the United States but got permission to stay in 2019, of being an MS-13 gang member. Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kilmar-abrego-garcias-court-trump-deportation-el-salvador-president/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied that their client is a member of MS-13. On Monday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> claims that Garcia was deported by mistake and contended that the withholding order the suspect received six years ago is no longer valid because the Trump administration has designated MS-13 as a foreign terror organization.
Last week, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Garcia&#8217;s return as the legal battle over his removal continues. While meeting Trump at the White House on Monday, Bukele <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he would not send Garcia back. &#8220;How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?&#8221; Bukele said to reporters, adding, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have the power to return him.&#8221;

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt

‘Mind-Boggling’: White House Slams Dems As Senator Threatens El Salvador Trip For MS-13 Suspect

Karoline Leavitt

White House

A Senate Democrat announced plans to travel to El Salvador later this week if an alleged MS-13 gang member, who was detained last month in Maryland, deported, and imprisoned in his home country, is not returned to the United States.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) issued the statement on Monday as an ultimatum, expressing his desire to speak with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who is currently in Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Kilmar Abrego Garcia never should have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the Administration must bring him home, now,&#8221; Van Hollen <a href="https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-requests-meeting-with-president-bukele-to-discuss-return-of-kilmar-abrego-garcia-announces-intent-to-travel-to-el-salvador-this-week-if-abrego-garcia-is-not-returned" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;However, since the Trump Administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action.&#8221;
He continued, &#8220;That’s why I’ve requested to meet with President Bukele during his trip to the United States, and — if Kilmar is not home by midweek — I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release.&#8221;
The Trump administration has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/facilitate-not-effectuate-wh-responds-to-scotus-ruling-on-mistakenly-deported-salvadoran" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> Garcia, who illegally entered the United States but got permission to stay in 2019, of being an MS-13 gang member. Garcia&#8217;s attorneys have <a href="https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-power/national-politics/van-hollen-demands-maryland-man-return-ALNOE5THZZHQLP2NAAWQYP3GJ4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> denied there is evidence of such a claim. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-partially-against-trump-in-deported-migrant-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a ruling last week that said the government must “facilitate,” but not necessarily “effectuate,” Garcia&#8217;s return amid a legal battle.
On Monday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-miller-blames-doj-saboteur-for-claiming-salvadoran-migrant-mistakenly-deported" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a> claims that Garcia was deported by mistake and contended that the withholding order the suspect received six years ago is no longer valid because the Trump administration has designated MS-13 as a foreign terror organization.
While meeting Trump at the White House on Monday, Bukele <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-bukele-tear-into-cnn-reporter-who-asked-if-illegal-alien-will-be-returned-to-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he would not send Garcia back. &#8220;How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?&#8221; Bukele said to reporters, adding, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have the power to return him.&#8221;
Van Hollen also revealed on Monday that he sent a letter to El Salvador&#8217;s U.S. ambassador, Milena Mayorga, &#8220;urgently&#8221; requesting a meeting with Bukele.
The Democrat senator faced some blowback from the GOP for his efforts.
&#8220;Young girls are being abused, Americans are being killed, and our communities are being overrun by illegals — and Democrats like Chris Van Hollen are busy fighting for people who shouldn’t even be here while ignoring the needs of real Americans,&#8221; Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) <a href="https://x.com/RepMaryMiller/status/1911839877215240448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X, adding, &#8220;Disgraceful!&#8221;

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Dem Senator’s Ultimatum: Bring Back Deported MS-13 Suspect Or I’ll Go To El Salvador

Nayib Bukele

U.S. House of Representatives

A man convicted over the brutal beating of two elderly pro-life sidewalk counselors outside of a Baltimore Planned Parenthood will be retried after a jury could not come to a verdict on a first-degree felony assault charge last month. 
Patrick Brice, 28, will be retried by state prosecutors over the 2023 beating of Mark Crosby and Richard Schaefer outside of Planned Parenthood that left them both bloodied. At the time of the attack, Crosby was 84 years old. Schaefer was 73. 
Brice was convicted last month on four lesser counts related to the attack but dodged the more serious first-degree assault charge due to a hung jury.
Brice was convicted on two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment and was set to be sentenced on March 20 before the decision to retry the first-degree assault charge.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates <a href="https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/patrick-brice-retrial-assault-anti-abortion-protesters-planned-parenthood-baltimore-JY43YR6ZGVH53PA6U6RP2Y3LXA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Baltimore Banner that his office is “supporting victims and witnesses of crimes and ensuring justice is served in Baltimore.”
“While we understand the victim’s frustrations, we have made every effort to ensure they fully understand the process and have access to the necessary support,” Bates said. “As this is an open and ongoing matter, we will continue to provide this support throughout the case resolution process.”
A pre-trial conference on the case is <a href="https://www.wmar2news.com/local/prosecutors-to-retry-baltimore-man-caught-on-video-attacking-planned-parenthood-protesters" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slated</a> for Friday. A conviction on first-degree felony assault could carry a 25-year prison sentence. 
Crosby previously told The Daily Wire that he would be willing to go back to court to have the case retried, saying he was surprised that the jury did not come to a consensus. 
The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDMYSWHJuNM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">footage</a> shows Brice tackling Schaefer into a large potted plant after a heated exchange. Crosby then runs over to help Schaefer before he is forced to the ground. The video then shows Brice punching Crosby in the face and kicking him in the head.
“I call it attempted murder. If you watch the video, he actually is straddling me and he hits me double fisted,” Crosby said.
Crosby was hospitalized after the attack and treated for a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs.
Crosby believed that one of the reasons for the attack was that he and Schaefer had been effective in convincing women to turn to a nearby crisis pregnancy center. He <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trial-begins-for-man-accused-of-brutally-beating-elderly-pro-lifers-outside-planned-parenthood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously told</a> The Daily Wire that both men have frequently returned to the Planned Parenthood after the attack.

Bill Tompkins  Planned Parenthood signage Archive

Man Who Brutally Beat Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselors To Be Retried On Key Charge

Abortion

Baltimore Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott, elected in 2020, attacked President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting the DEI movement, <a href="https://democracyforward.org/updates/anti-deia-executive-order-challenge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> he and other DEI advocates would “fight it with every legal tool available to us.”
“The Left’s divisive focus on DEI policies undermines decades of progress toward true equality,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields has <a href="https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/feb/05/baltimore-mayor-fights-back-against-attacks-on-dei/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “The Trump administration rejects this backward thinking and will pursue an agenda that lifts everyone up with the chance to achieve the American Dream.”
In a <a href="https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/news/press-releases/2025-02-04-mayor-scott-and-city-baltimore-celebrate-black-history-month-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a> on Tuesday celebrating “Black History Month,” Scott wrote: “Some have chosen to intentionally misconstrue the goals of DEI initiatives and chosen to attempt to scapegoat diversity for any and every challenge facing our nation. This brazenly political attack only underscores the necessity for proactive measures to protect and promote the value that our diversity brings.”
Scott has joined a <a href="//F9F92F76-A206-4D21-88E3-07D6D6B836F4/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> targeting Trump and other Cabinet officials, naming Trump’s Executive Orders 14151, “Ending Radical Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” and Executive Order 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.”
The lawsuit claimed, “President Trump’s history and explicit call to dismantle anything connected to DEI presses the question of which ‘programs promoting DEI’ President Trump views as ‘illegal.’ &#8230; The President has made clear—during both his campaign and his previous administration—that his goal is to punish those who recognize or choose to speak out about this country’s history on issues of enslavement, racial exclusion, health disparities, gender inequality, treatment of individuals with disabilities, and discrimination. President Trump wishes to see the end of all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs of any kind whatsoever.”
Speaking of Baltimore, the lawsuit stated, “The diversity of the city is its strength,” adding, “Baltimore receives $250 million in federal funds under the Justice40 Initiative intended to benefit disadvantaged communities.”
Of another plaintiff, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), the lawsuit revealed: “NADOHE’s institutional members with endowments greater than $1 billion and those institutions’ diversity officers are under threat from the J21 Order’s requirement for agencies to identify targets for civil compliance investigations.”

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act WH

Baltimore Mayor Attacks DEI Opponents: ‘Attempt To Scapegoat Diversity’

Executive

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