In an appearance on CNN, Rep. Richie Torres (D-NY) slammed President Donald Trump’s deportation of Maryland resident Abrego Garcia and also spoke about a new bill which “would require the U.S. to secure the return of mistakenly deported individuals."
While speaking with host Wolf Blitzer, Torres said that he was "skeptical that we will have Republican support" for his legislation because "the Republican Party is fully captive to Donald Trump."
“All the abuses of Donald Trump's presidency, there is no greater threat to liberty than his complete contempt for due process. you know, without due process, what stops Donald Trump from wrongfully labeling any American as a non-citizen gang member and abducting them in the dead of night and rendering them to a foreign prison to be tortured?”
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He went on to add, “Donald Trump's actions set a dangerous precedent for our democracy and so I'm introducing legislation known as the Rescue Act, which would seek to secure the release of those who have been wrongfully deported.”
“If there is a foreign leader like the president of El Salvador who refuses to comply with an order from a federal court to release someone who's been wrongfully deported, there should be geopolitical consequences, and those consequences should be swift and severe. it should include the suspension of relations with the United States and the termination of foreign assistance.”
Blitzer questioned the congressman on the likelihood of the legislation passing with a “veto-proof” majority, saying, “What else, if anything, can democrats in congress do about the president clearly pushing the limits of his power in this way? he even suggested yesterday the possibility of starting to deport American citizens who commit crimes.”
Rep. Torres replied, “Look, we have to exhaust every means of holding Donald Trump accountable. You know, whether it's mobilization on the streets, legislation in the halls of Congress, litigation in the courtroom. you know, we have to throw the kitchen sink and hold Donald Trump accountable. but as far as I'm concerned, the imperial Presidency of Donald Trump is as much a product of congressional capitulation as it is of Trump himself.”
Watch the video below or at this link.