Senator (unknown)
speaker
96 appearances
21 recordings
8 series
first heard Jan 2025
last heard 13 May
Senator (unknown)’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in May 2026 with 1.
Appearances
I did try to visit to check on his health, and I was stopped about three kilometers outside of the prison by soldiers who told me I could not proceed. You could see cars continuing to go by on the road, but they were ordered to stop me from going.
I think that's fair. My request also has been to go see Kilmar. Republicans don't seem to care about the fact that he was illegally abducted and taken to Seacott. You know, the Trump administration seems to be celebrating that fact and, of course, are ignoring the court orders to facilitate his return.
No, they haven't allowed anybody to speak with him. And that, of course, is a violation of international law. But that is the current situation. And I explained to the you know, Vice President of El Salvador yesterday that they're really being complicit in these illegal actions by the Trump administration and illegal under U.S. law for lack of due process.
But by not allowing him to have any contact with anybody, that's also a violation of international law.
Well, his basic response was that they had this deal with the Trump administration. The Trump administration was paying the government of El Salvador millions of dollars. to detain him and others. And I explained that the courts of our country, including the Supreme Court by nine to zero ruling had ordered the Trump administration to help facilitate his release.
You know, the president of El Salvador has said that, well, he doesn't have the power to smuggle, you know, Kilmar back into the United States. I pointed out to the vice president, we're not asking El Salvador to smuggle him in. We just want them to open the prison gate. And Attorney General Bondi did say the other day that they'd send a plane.
I don't know if that offer still stands, but I want to make that distinction clear. El Salvador is a sovereign country. We don't think that they can, quote, smuggle him back to the United States. But what they can do is open the gates to the prison to somebody who's been illegally detained there.
Well, that's absolutely right. I mean, the first question I asked of the American embassy team here has, has Washington, has the Trump administration given you any instructions to help facilitate his release? And the answer was no.
I have a very strong opinion where they said essentially they backed up the federal district court judge and said that this violation of due process by the Trump administration goes to the very heart and foundation of our constitution, a total violation of the due process rights. And they said, I'm reading here that we, which should be shocking.
All of us to also listen to the Trump administration's claim that since he's already left the country, they have no obligation to get him back. I mean, they admitted they admitted in federal court that they had erroneously abducted him and taken him to another prison.
And instead of fixing the problem, the Trump administration fired the lawyer who told the truth in court, fired or put on administrative leave.
I think the Trump administration wants to cover up all of their illegal activity and wrongdoing. That can certainly be a part of it. But they're lying through their teeth every day about this case and trying to fool Americans as to what it's about. What this is about is stripping an individual of his rights to due process. And if you can do this for this individual,
The rest of us watch out because what bullies do is they pick first on the most vulnerable. And that's essentially what the Fourth Circuit just said today.
Well, all I know is the federal judge in the case looked at the administration's claims regarding that he was in MS-13 and found them lacking. That's where the Trump administration should be providing any evidence they have rather than just putting this out in the court of public opinion. Look, I want to be clear. I'm not I don't know every single fact here.
What I'm vouching for is the system due process. That's the forum in which these things are decided. And it is exactly that that the Trump administration wants to avoid entirely.
Well, number one, I intend to keep a spotlight on this issue because I do believe that the government of El Salvador, at some point, I think the international community may also weigh in and just say what's happening here is illegal, becoming the contracting out prison in a way that violates people's rights.
But the Trump administration is going to be providing those monies to the government of El Salvador. And Ultimately, Congress appropriates these funds.
And so I'm certainly not going to appropriate one penny of American taxpayer dollars to the government of El Salvador to pay them for violating this individual's rights and violating the rulings of the United States courts with respect to his rights. are you coming home? Are you staying there much longer? What, what is your plan? My plan is to, to come home either later this evening or tomorrow.
Uh, I've had lots of meetings here. I also met with some of the human rights groups. Uh, I met with the lawyer for Kumar's mother and his wife who's down here. In fact, he accompanied me, uh, to try to go see Kilmar in prison. He was also blocked by the soldiers when we made that effort. I also met with the U.S.
Embassy team here to talk about bilateral relations between the United States and El Salvador. But I intend to either leave later tonight or tomorrow morning. But I can assure you, and I've assured the government of El Salvador, that I may be the first senator here or the first member of Congress
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