Well, that was fast.
Four House Democrats packed their bags, strutted down to El Salvador with all the fanfare of a PR stunt disguised as diplomacy, and—shock of shocks—came back empty-handed. That’s right. Reps. Robert Garcia, Maxwell Frost, Maxine Dexter, and Yassamin Ansari took their self-righteous mission to “free” Kilmar Abrego Garcia and got promptly shown the door.
Why? Because this wasn’t an “official” trip, and even the Salvadoran government could see through it. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer refused to fund the dog-and-pony show with taxpayer dollars, which was already a win for common sense. So they went anyway—on their own dime, one hopes—and made absolutely zero headway.
You’ve got to love the audacity. Dexter didn’t even try to soften the language; she flat-out said she was there to release Garcia. As if foreign governments just fold to virtue-signaling demands from a handful of junior House Democrats on a freelance rescue mission. Spoiler alert: they don’t. Especially not when said lawmakers are breezing in without any real diplomatic authority or respect for local legal systems. But hey, at least they got some content for CNN appearances and social media reels, which is what really matters, right?
We just returned from El Salvador, where we demanded Trump follow the 9-0 Supreme Court decision and uphold the rule of law. This isn’t just about one man. This is a constitutional crisis. My constituents are demanding action, and I won’t stop fighting. pic.twitter.com/bPwm3itAKU
— Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (@RepDexterOR) April 22, 2025
And speaking of CNN, the damage control tour is already in full swing. Dexter’s out here claiming that it’s somehow up to the Trump administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return home. That might sound convincing—if you ignore the inconvenient detail that home for Mr. Garcia is El Salvador. He’s not an American citizen, so it’s not up to the United States to march in and override another country’s laws because a few progressive lawmakers got a photo op itch they needed to scratch.
Meanwhile, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele is having a grand old time trolling them online, which—honestly—might be the most productive outcome of this trip. He dug up an old tweet from Maxwell Frost that referenced his “gang,” then reposted it with a perfectly dismissive shrug emoji. Frost, in response, insisted it was just a music lyric and that the only gang he belonged to was the marching band. A noble effort to spin, sure, but when you’re in international headlines for failing to execute a diplomatic stunt, maybe don’t give the foreign president ammunition for meme warfare.
— Nickarama (@nickaramaOG) April 22, 2025
The cherry on top? The trip lasted about a day. A whole 24 hours of effort before they tucked tail and headed home without Garcia, without any leverage, and without a shred of diplomatic victory. These are elected officials, mind you—folks who are supposed to be crafting laws, overseeing agencies, and doing the kind of domestic work they were voted into office to handle. But instead, they’re off playing international social justice warriors, hoping their passport stamps will distract from the lack of results.
This whole thing was less of a mission and more of a performance. They went down on a soapbox, got politely (and then firmly) told “no,” and now they’re back trying to spin it into some noble effort. Here’s the thing: if you want to gallivant across Central America on a virtue mission, be my guest. Just don’t expect the American people to foot the bill or applaud the spectacle when it predictably crashes and burns.
The Democrats planted their flag on this hill, and now they get to camp out on it—alone, without their headline, and without the man they claimed they were there to save. And as long as it’s not on the taxpayers’ dime? Feel free to keep the international embarrassment tour rolling. We’ve got popcorn.
