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  • 2 days ago
At a press briefing on Friday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke about his visit with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Transcript
00:00It's good to be home.
00:07Now we need to end the illegal
00:09abduction of Kilmar Orbego Garcia
00:14and bring him home, too.
00:19It's good to be home.
00:21Now we need to end the illegal
00:23abduction of Kilmar Orbego
00:26Garcia and bring him home, too.
00:30We're joined by his wife, Jennifer, by his mother, Cecilia, by his brother, Cesar, and
00:43thank all of the rest of you who are joining us in solidarity with the Constitution and
00:49Kilmock.
00:50Look, I'm a little sleep deprived, and I want to be as clear as possible about what
00:58this is about and what it's not about.
01:02So I'm going to read the remarks that I wrote on the plane ride home.
01:09As the federal courts have said, we need to bring Mr. Abrego Garcia home to protect his
01:16constitutional rights to due process.
01:21And it's also important that people understand this case is not just about one man.
01:28It's about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody who resides in the United States.
01:34If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights
01:45and due process for everyone else in America.
01:48The Fourth Circuit put it very clearly in its strong opinion yesterday.
01:55And I quote, it is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter.
02:02But in this case, it is not hard at all.
02:07The government, in this case the Trump administration, is asserting a right to stash away residents
02:13of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation
02:20of our constitutional order.
02:22Further, it claims, in essence, that because it has rid itself of custody, that there is
02:30nothing that can be done.
02:32This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans
02:39far removed from the courthouses still hold dear.
02:44They summed up the issue at stake perfectly.
02:49And that's why the Supreme Court, in a 9-0 decision, ordered the Trump administration to facilitate
02:56the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia.

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