Direct from our transom to this public space, Santa Ana Councilwoman and progressive candidate for Avelino’s old 68th-Assembly district seat Jessie Lopez calls for Trump and his Salvadoran dictator co-conspirator Bukele to send her fellow Salvadoran-American back home. I did not know Jessie was Salvadoran. This awkwardly comes right after we discover that SA Congressman Lou Correa was one of only TWO Democrats to attend the Salvadoran dictator’s inauguration (see further below.) Jessie did not know Lou had done that. Tangled webs…

Vern,

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, father, and a man who has done nothing wrong, was illegally deported to El Salvador by U.S. immigration authorities. He was denied due process, stripped of his rights, and separated from his family. Now he is being held in a “counterterrorism facility” in El Salvador — a place known for abuse, secrecy, and cruelty.

Let’s call this what it is: a kidnapping.

What is happening to Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a moral and constitutional emergency — and it demands every ounce of our outrage and action.

This was not a mistake. It was an attack on us all. As a Salvadoran-American, this is deeply personal for me. I am proud of my roots — but I am not proud of the lies and fear tactics of the Salvadoran president that are now enabling Donald Trump’s worst abuses of power here at home. He is using Kilmar’s detention as a political game, a show of force meant to intimidate and silence us. But I will not be silent — and neither should you.

This is more than a tragic story. This is a crisis of democracy. If this can happen to Kilmar, it can happen to any of us.

We must demand his immediate return — alive and safe — to his home and family in Maryland. We must stand against this injustice, against this assault on civil liberties, and against the terrifying precedent this sets. If the Trump administration can violate the due process of someone here legally, even if by accident, and get away with it – none of us are safe. 

• Support SMART and Kilmar’s family in their fight for justice by signing their petition >>
  
• Contribute to the fundraiser for Kilmar’s family >>
  
• Contact your Congressional representatives and demand their action to ensure Kilmar’s immediate return.
• Share his story and refuse to be silent.

Kilmar is a father. A neighbor. A human being. He is one of us, and he deserves to come home to his family.

In Solidarity,

Jessie.

ON THE OTHER HAND……

Hey, maybe Lou Correa can get Kilmar out if he thinks it’s important – he does know this Bukele dictator guy, having attended his inauguration last June:

WASHINGTON — Yesterday [June 3, 2024] Representative Lou Correa (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee, returned to the United States after traveling to El Salvador for the inauguration of President Nayib Bukele.

Rep. Correa meets with President Bukele after his inauguration

“I want to extend my congratulations to President Bukele on his inauguration, and look forward to working with him on issues of mutual interest to our two nations,” Correa said upon his return. “Our continued cooperation will be crucial to strengthening our regional security, and will undoubtedly benefit the citizens of the United States and El Salvador, as well as those with families in both the United States and El Salvador.”

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Well… How do Orange Juice readers like them apples? You’d almost think there were TWO DIFFERENT DEMOCRAT PARTIES in the Central County!

hat-tip “Biff”, on the Lou thing.