Headlines for April 16, 2025

A federal judge is weighing contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials over the case of Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully sent to a maximum-security mega-prison in El Salvador in March. Judge Paula Xinis on Tuesday questioned why Garcia was still “inexplicably detained” in El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, despite rulings, including by the U.S. Supreme Court, ordering his return. Xinis also said there is no evidence so far that shows Trump officials have even attempted to facilitate Garcia’s safe return home, and gave them until next week to turn over documents and sit for depositions to explain steps they’ve taken to secure Abrego Garcia’s return. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, Tuesday. This is Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura: “Today is 34 days of after his disappearance, and I stand before you filled with spirit that refuses to bring down. I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive.”

Democratic Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen is traveling to El Salvador today to push for Abrego Garcia’s release from prison. Demands are mounting for other Democratic lawmakers to join.
Meanwhile, as the Trump administration continues to defend its decision refusing to bring Abrego Garcia home, reports emerged the police officer who formally accused Abrego Garcia — without evidence — of being a member of MS-13 was later suspended for misconduct. Those revelations didn’t stop White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt from making these comments Tuesday.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “There is never going to be a world in which this is an individual who’s going to live a peaceful life in Maryland, because he is a foreign terrorist and a MS-13 gang member.”

Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland for almost 15 years, after fleeing gang violence in El Salvador, and was a sheet metal apprentice. The president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, Sean McGarvey, received a standing ovation from a crowd of union members when he recently demanded Garcia’s return.

Sean McGarvey: “We need to make our voices heard. We’re not red. We’re not blue. We’re the building trades, the backbone of America. We built a 5 billion — you want to build a $5 billion data center? Want more six-figure careers with healthcare, retirement and no college debt? You don’t call Elon Musk. You call us, North America’s Building Trades Unions. And yeah, that means all of us — all of us — including our brother, SMART apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who we demand to be returned to us and his family now! Bring him home!”