Democratic lawmakers led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen say they are willing to go to El Salvador to seek the release of a man who the Justice Department says it mistakenly deported there — a plan that has gained steam after the country’s president said during a visit to the White House that he would not send the man back to the U.S.

  • Thrillhouse@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    This is weird but can we trust that the kidnapped guy is even still alive? The admin is super evasive about it.

    • Coffee Addict@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      He may very well be dead. Regardless, I think we have to try; somebody’s father was literally sent to hell on earth without even being charged for a crime or seeing a judge. Trump has defiled this man’s “unalienable right” to due process. The fifth amendment to the constitution of the United States also specifies that this right belongs to each person and not citizen for this exact reason.

      This is probably the biggest constitutional crisis since the US Civil War. The foundations of the entire legal world sit upon established precedent, and Trump getting away with this would basically mean the Constitution and our laws are entirely up to the executive and therefore not worth the paper they’re printed on.

      We have no choice but to make this a complete PR disaster for Trump; Is he strong, or is he weak? If he is so strong, then why is a dictator of a tiny country able to tell him no? If Trump even had a shred of guilt or decency (he has neither) he would remind Bukele that a single aircraft carrier is all it would take to level everything he has.

      (Note: I am not saying we should launch a military invasion of El Salvador. I am merely pointing out how laughable it is that Trump says he can’t do anything. He is, as he has always been, a weak and pathetic man whose only extraordinary talent is lying without remorse.)

    • noride@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      At first I dismissed this idea as bullshit, but at this point, wouldn’t it be so much fucking easier to just bring him back? There has to be some reason they aren’t, and I sure don’t believe the “they don’t want to set a precedent” line floating around.

      • Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Idk for sure, just speculating, but I think they don’t care about the actual individual. It’s not about him.

        They’re asserting power, defying the supreme court. It’s that simple. This is authoritarianism. This is how it plays out.

        Again, speculation. They start with these types of acts, if they succeed their way, disobeying law gets normalized, and they can continue and do even worse.

        If I’m correct, checks and balances is falling, or has fallen. This is what authoritarianism looks like.

      • theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        wouldn’t it be so much fucking easier to just bring him back?

        There’s a reason he had fled to the US and was protected with asylum, and a reason that the US was not supposed to deport him back to El Salvador. He was probably dead as soon as he was sent back.

      • Thrillhouse@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Yeah like wouldn’t it just be best (from their perspective) to get it out of the news cycle, come up with better legal bullshit, and continue the concentration camp deportations in a month or so?

        I mean they’re talking about revoking the citizenship of prisoners and trying to naturalize the land in El Salvador so they won’t have to answer to anyone because it will be considered “domestic” transfer. They could just bring him back and then ship him back when they do that.

  • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Absolutely a good idea. Republicans have a very weak hold in Congress and keeping this visible will spook them.

  • teft@lemmy.world
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    And do what? Without a least an operational detachment behind them they aren’t going to be able to do anything but grandstand in front of CECOT. Bukele already said he isn’t giving anyone back.

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    A meaningless gesture that acknowledges that it’s OK for everybody else to be there.
    Everybody involved in putting people in prison without proper procedure is a criminal.

    This is a crime, the administration is decidedly criminal, and Americans are doing diddly, what a fucked up disgusting country!!! My blood boils reading at how insanely fascist USA has become.

  • snekerpimp@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Hey, how about you do your job and impeach the motherfucker that is doing it? Maybe? Do your damn job? Perhaps?

    • Bristingr@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      He’s from the Senate. They hold the trial. Talk to the House for Impeachment. But good luck getting Johnson to allow that to come to the table.

    • Coffee Addict@lemmy.world
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      I agree this is what should be done, but the reality is this will not be done. This requires a majority in Congress to bring the charges and impeach, and then 2/3rds of the Senate to convict. Democrats would gleefully jump at the chance to do both, but they haven’t had that type of majority in generations. And we all know the GOP will never impeach, let alone remove, one of their own.

      The democrats are extremely limited in their institutional power right now. The only institution that stop Trump is Congress, and they’re in his pocket.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Impeachment with no possibility of conviction isn’t productive. His previous 2 aquittals just made him bolder.

      And if we make impeachment routine, they’ll lose their meaning. We need to hold out for one that will stick, which probably means waiting until at least 2027. And that sucks. A lot.

      • dan1101@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        At least it’ll be some red tape to slow things down. Red tape traditionally has kept a lot of crap from passing in the government.

  • dan1101@lemm.ee
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    3 days ago

    While they’re at it bring back the others and give them proper due process in US courts.

  • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Can’t wait for them to travel there and demand to see him, only to be told no. Then they’ll shrug and say “Well, we’ve done all we can do.”