section_path: "Facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return/Others travel to El Salvador to seek his release
section_name: Others travel to El Salvador to seek his release
paragraph_text: Others travel to El Salvador to seek his release
  
  Meanwhile, on April 16, Representative Delia Ramirez, a Democratic member of the House Homeland Security Committee, proposed a congressional member delegation to El Salvador. Representative Mark Green, the Republican committee chair, denied the request, replying the next day that the Democrats were welcome to "use their own personal credit cards" to visit the prison.
  
  The week after Van Hollen's trip, four Democratic members of the House of Representatives – Yassamin Ansari (Arizona), Maxine Dexter (Oregon), Maxwell Frost (Florida) and Robert Garcia (California) – traveled to El Salvador, accompanied by Chris Newman, one of Abrego Garcia's lawyers. They were again hoping to meet with Abrego Garcia, and seeking his release and return to the US. Maxwell said that another purpose of the trip was to ensure that "our country is following our laws", a concern echoed by others. Ansari said that the case was not only about Abrego Garcia himself, but about "the future of our democracy" and due process. Newman also spoke of the need for Abrego Garcia to have access to counsel. The group's request to meet with Abrego Garcia was rejected.
  
  Prior to the trip, Garcia and Frost had written James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, asking that the trip be considered an official delegation, but the request was rejected. The Republicans on the committee tweeted "Your request to visit a foreign MS-13 gang member in El Salvador on taxpayer dollars (and possibly drink margaritas) has been denied", and the members of the group paid their own way, despite Republican representatives Jason Smith (Missouri) and Riley Moore (West Virginia) having had their requests to visit CECOT approved.
  
  The group also wrote to Secretary of State Rubio, asking him to regularly check on Abrego Garcia's well-being, seek his return, and enable his access to counsel. While in El Salvador, the group met with human rights activists at the Universidad Centroamericano and with US embassy staff, from whom they received a classified briefing, and the group sought the release of other detainees. They called attention to some by name, such as Andry José Hernández. Lindsay Toczylowski of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents Hernandez and nine other men that the US sent to CECOT, said "The government wants to disappear these people, so we think talking about who these individuals are and making sure elected officials don't forget about them is the most important lever we have to get them back."
  
  On the weekend of May 25, Representative Glenn Ivey traveled to El Salvador in an effort to see Abrego Garcia. Ivey represents the district where Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland, and he was accompanied by one of Abrego Garcia's lawyers and a member of the union that Abrego Garcia belongs to, who also wished to meet with him. The US ambassador to El Salvador had contacted the Salvadoran government prior to their trip, requesting that the group be able to meet with Abrego Garcia, but it was not approved.
  
  Meanwhile, on April 16, Representative Delia Ramirez, a Democratic member of the House Homeland Security Committee, proposed a congressional member delegation to El Salvador. Representative Mark Green, the Republican committee chair, denied the request, replying the next day that the Democrats were welcome to "use their own personal credit cards" to visit the prison.
  
  The week after Van Hollen's trip, four Democratic members of the House of Representatives – Yassamin Ansari (Arizona), Maxine Dexter (Oregon), Maxwell Frost (Florida) and Robert Garcia (California) – traveled to El Salvador, accompanied by Chris Newman, one of Abrego Garcia's lawyers. They were again hoping to meet with Abrego Garcia, and seeking his release and return to the US. Maxwell said that another purpose of the trip was to ensure that "our country is following our laws", a concern echoed by others. Ansari said that the case was not only about Abrego Garcia himself, but about "the future of our democracy" and due process. Newman also spoke of the need for Abrego Garcia to have access to counsel. The group's request to meet with Abrego Garcia was rejected.
  
  Prior to the trip, Garcia and Frost had written James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, asking that the trip be considered an official delegation, but the request was rejected. The Republicans on the committee tweeted "Your request to visit a foreign MS-13 gang member in El Salvador on taxpayer dollars (and possibly drink margaritas) has been denied", and the members of the group paid their own way, despite Republican representatives Jason Smith (Missouri) and Riley Moore (West Virginia) having had their requests to visit CECOT approved.
  
  The group also wrote to Secretary of State Rubio, asking him to regularly check on Abrego Garcia's well-being, seek his return, and enable his access to counsel. While in El Salvador, the group met with human rights activists at the Universidad Centroamericano and with US embassy staff, from whom they received a classified briefing, and the group sought the release of other detainees. They called attention to some by name, such as Andry José Hernández. Lindsay Toczylowski of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents Hernandez and nine other men that the US sent to CECOT, said "The government wants to disappear these people, so we think talking about who these individuals are and making sure elected officials don't forget about them is the most important lever we have to get them back."
  
  On the weekend of May 25, Representative Glenn Ivey traveled to El Salvador in an effort to see Abrego Garcia. Ivey represents the district where Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland, and he was accompanied by one of Abrego Garcia's lawyers and a member of the union that Abrego Garcia belongs to, who also wished to meet with him. The US ambassador to El Salvador had contacted the Salvadoran government prior to their trip, requesting that the group be able to meet with Abrego Garcia, but it was not approved.