David Akachukwu
Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us
U.S. Congressman Jamie Raskin has drawn comparisons between former President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, accusing both of behaving like dictators over the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the issue of foreign prisons.
Raskin criticized the current stance taken by the White House and President Bukele, who have both refused to facilitate Garcia’s return, labeling him an undocumented migrant and a member of the MS-13 gang, which was officially designated a terrorist group earlier this year.
During an appearance on Pod Save America, Raskin questioned Bukele’s claim of having no authority to repatriate Garcia, calling it absurd.
“He’s our legal agent in this dubious arrangement they’ve created,” he said. “Of course he’s got the power to return him. He and Trump are just acting like a couple of dictators having fun at the expense of a man’s life and his family.”
Raskin also called on fellow Democrats to commit to holding individuals accountable for promoting authoritarianism within the United States. He emphasized that undermining democratic values poses a direct threat to the Constitution and the nation itself.
The lawmaker vowed that his party would intensify efforts to secure Garcia’s release, mentioning that more congressional visits to El Salvador may take place, following Senator Van Hollen’s recent trip.
“This is an unlawful situation,” he said, adding that the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling must be honored. “There’s simply no legal justification for the administration’s actions.”
He warned that if authorities can detain and send people abroad without due process, it reflects a dangerous shift toward authoritarianism.
For further information on sport secret and greatest sport icon click here
Referring to the idea of sending Americans to detention centers outside the U.S., Raskin called it unconstitutional and likened it to outdated colonial-era punishment practices. He predicted that the Supreme Court would rule such a move as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, and would also infringe on due process rights.
Raskin noted that any effort to establish detention centers overseas would require Congressional approval. “Law-making authority rests with Congress,” he said. “The president doesn’t have the power to simply invent a foreign prison and implement it.”
He also condemned the influence of defense contractors who have been pushing for prison facilities in El Salvador and suggesting certain regions be treated as U.S. territory.
“This is starting to resemble a gangster state,” he remarked.
Raskin, a constitutional law expert, said using taxpayer funds to support offshore prisons that sidestep American legal standards is unacceptable. He criticized what he sees as an attempt to replicate Guantanamo Bay in multiple locations globally.
“They look at Guantanamo Bay as some kind of towering example of what they like to reproduce all over the world. We have to stop that to prevent a slide into complete dictatorship. Donald Trump is a convicted felon, could he be sent off to a foreign prison?”, he asked.
The congressman also accused the Trump administration of forcibly separating individuals from their families and legal representation, essentially reviving the long-abandoned practice of banishment.
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
Jonathan Nwokpor
