Peaceful Protests Against Trump Administration Policies Add On Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deportation Protest

Peaceful Protests Against Trump Administration Policies Continue in Chicago, Arlington Heights, Other Suburbs

Hands Off Protest 2 Anti-Trump 50501 Movement downtown Arlington Heights April 19, 2025 (CARDINAL NEWS). YouTube Tips ⓘ

A Hands Off 2 protest in Arlington Heights on Saturday, April 19, 2025, part of the ‘50501’ protests nationwide, followed up an earlier protest in Arlington Heights that was one of a series of demonstrations launched across the United States on April 5, 2025. The stated goal of the protests is public resistance against the second administration of President Donald Trump. The original protests involved 1,400 locations in the United States with an estimated 3-5 million participants nationwide, according to the demonstration organizers. The stated mission of Hands Off coordinators was to protest President Donald Trump’s policies related to issues involving labor unions, democracy, civil rights, LGBTQ+, and women’s rights groups.

An additional issue raised at the second protest April 19, 2025 was the deportation and imprisonment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.

The deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador has provoked strong reactions from Conservative and Liberal and Progressive categories of individuals, with background ideological basis on immigration, due process, and executive power. Basically Conservative groups and law enforcement have identified Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a criminal and a likely member of the national terrorist group MS-13, while Liberal and Progressive groups have identified Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a Maryland dad that was wrongly deported.

CONSERVATIVES
Conservatives, aligned with Trump administration immigration policies, support the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, as a necessary action to protect national security and combat gang activity.

For example, Trump administration officials such as Stephen Miller and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, justify Garcia’s deportation, alleging he is a member of the MS-13 gang, a designated terrorist organization. They argue that his removal, even if initially labeled an “administrative error,” was ultimately appropriate due to his alleged gang ties. Leavitt also claimed Garcia was involved in domestic violence and human trafficking, citing a 2021 protective order (later dismissed) and a 2022 traffic stop incident in Tennessee, where Tennessee authorities consulted the FBI when Kilmar Abrego Garcia was discovered allegedly transporting several individuals from Mexico to Maryland, and all the transported individuals gave authorities their address as the same address as Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Biden Administration FBI let Kilmar Abrego Garcia go, along with the people he was transporting.

The Trump administration alleges Garcia is a dangerous individual, with President Trump himself calling him a “foreign terrorist” and asserting his “record is unbelievably bad,” despite no criminal convictions.

Conservatives have backed the administration’s defiance of judicial orders to facilitate Garcia’s return, arguing that courts cannot interfere with executive authority over foreign policy or immigration enforcement. Officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi have claimed the U.S. lacks authority to compel El Salvador to release Garcia, emphasizing El Salvador’s sovereignty.

The administration’s legal stance, articulated in court filings, is that the Supreme Court’s order to “facilitate” Garcia’s return does not mandate active efforts to retrieve him, only to allow his return if El Salvador releases him. This interpretation has been supported by conservative voices as a defense of presidential prerogative. Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, had said that he will not release Kilmar Abreago Garcia, and will not “smuggle” him back into the United States at a meeting in the White House a few days before the April 19, 2025 protests.

Congressional Republicans, such as Rep. Jason Smith and West Virginia’s Riley Moore, have used Garcia’s case to reinforce anti-immigration rhetoric. Moore’s visit to the CECOT prison in El Salvador, where he posted images of detainees, was indicated as support for Trump’s deportation policies. Smith criticized Democrats for advocating for “foreign criminals.”

White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai labeled Democratic efforts, such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s visit to Garcia, as “truly disgusting,” accusing Democrats of prioritizing “an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist” over American citizens. Conservatives have also connected Garcia’s case to broader narratives of border stricter deportation policies. Liberals have accused conservatives of wrongly confusing or conflating the Rachel Morin homicid/rape case with the Garcia case. Rachel Morin’s mother during the week ahead of the April 19 2025 protests questioned the motive of Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador to meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia in prison and seek his release from El Salvador. A teary-eyed Sen. Chris Van Hollen returned to the United States without Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Politicians such as Vice President J.D. Vance have dismissed Democratic arguments for due process for illegal migrants as a “ruse” by the Democrats to revive illegal immigration, revealing Garcia’s case as another method of allowing “migrant invasion” and as an example that supports the reasoning behind swift deportation as a priority over legal protections and due process for illegal migrants.

LIBERALS/PROGRESSIVES
Liberals and Progressives, including Democratic lawmakers, activists, and legal advocates, have strongly condemned Garcia’s deportation as a violation of due process and a dangerous precedent for executive overreach. They also disagree with the outsourcing of prison services in El Salvador.

Liberals and Progressives have highlighted that Garcia’s deportation violated a 2019 immigration judge’s order barring Garcia’s removal to El Salvador due to fears of gang persecution in the country that could harm Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling that the deportation was illegal, and its order to “facilitate” Garcia’s return have been central to Liberal arguments. Democrats like Sen. Chris Van Hollen from Maryland and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York have called the deportation “absolutely outrageous” and “pure nonsense,” respectively, emphasizing the administration’s defiance of the courts.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, overseeing Garcia’s case, has been praised by liberals for her sharp rebukes of the administration’s inaction, with some calling her orders a defense of the rule of law.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador to meet Garcia, despite initial obstacles, was a high-profile liberal effort to pressure both the Trump administration and Salvadoran authorities. Van Hollen portrayed Garcia as an innocent family man from Maryland “illegally abducted” and criticized the U.S. for paying the outsourcing of prison with El Salvador detaining him.

Other Democrats, such as Rep. Ritchie Torres, have proposed legislation like the RESCUE Act to address similar cases, signaling a broader push to protect wrongfully deported individuals. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned on social media that the administration’s actions could extend to “anyone,” including citizens, if unchecked.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi released the narrative from a Gang Field Interview Sheet of the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland …

On 03/28/2019 at approximately 1427 hours, Detective REDACTED with the Hyattsville City Police
observed four individuals loitering in the parking lot of the Home Depot located at 3301 East West Highway in Hyattsville, MD 20782. As Det. REDACTED approached the individuals, two of the individuals reached into their waistbands and discarded several unknown items under a parked vehicle. All four individuals were stopped by Hyattsville officers. Det. REDACTED immediately recognized Christhyan HERNANDEZ-ROMERO aka “Bimbo” as a member of the MS-13 Sailors Clique. Two small plastic bottles containing marijuana was (sic) located on scene. All four individuals were transported back to District I for interviews.

Member (sic) of the Prince George’s County Gang Unit MS-13 Intelligence Squad have encounter (sic) Christhyan HERNANDEZ-ROMERO on multiple occasions. He has an extensive criminal history for multiple assault, concealing dangerous weapon, burglary and many other criminal offences (sic). He has also been found guilty of gang participation in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County in December of 2018. Officers know HERNANDEZ-ROMERO to be an active MS-13 gang member with the Sailor’s Clique with the rank of “Observacion” and moniker of “Bimbo”.

Officers also interview (sic) Jose Guillermo DOMINGUEZ. During the interview officers observed tattoos of skulls covering their eyes, ears and mouth. Officers know these kind of tattoos are indicative of the Hispanic gang culture. The tattoos is (sic) meant to represent “ver, oir y callar” or “see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil”. He also had a tattoo of a devil on his left leg which officers know only higher ranking MS-13 gang members are allow to get a tattoo with the horns. This represents power within MS-13. Officers made contact with a past proven and reliable source of information, who advised Jose Guillermo DOMINGUEZ is an active MS-13 gang member with the Sailor’s clique, the rank of “Chequeo” with the moniker “Maniaco”.

Officers then interviewed Kilmar Armando ABREGO-GARCIA. During the interview officers observed he was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie with rolls of money covering the eyes, ears and mouth of the presidents on the separate denominations. Officers know such clothing to be indicative of the Hispanic gang culture. The meaning of the clothing is to represent “ver, oir y callar” or “see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil”. Wearing the Chicago Bulls hat represents thay (sic) they are a member in good standing with the MS-13. Officers contacted a past proven and reliable source of information, who advised Kilmar Armando ABREGO-GARCIA is an active member of MS-13 with the Westerns clique. The confidential source further advised that he is the rank of “Chequeo” with the moniker of “Chele”.

Officers interview (sic) Jasson Josue RAMIREZ-HERRERA. During the interview officers were unable to determine his gang affiliation. Officers know MS-13 gang members are only allowed to hang around other members or prospects for the gang. Officers will continue to monitor Jasson Josue, RAMIREZ-HERRERA for further gang activity. He was sent on his way without further incident.

According to the Prince George’s County Police Department, one of the PGPD detectives who interviewed the group of four men that included Kilmar Abrego Garcia on March 28, 2019, and helped generate the interview form, was former officer Ivan Mendez. Multiple members of the PGPD Gang Unit interviewed the four men. In April 2019, in connection with an unrelated matter, Mendez was suspended pending investigation. He ultimately pled guilty to Misconduct in Office for that unrelated matter. The department proposed his termination. He accepted the discipline and was terminated from the agency in December of 2022.

According to the Prince George’s County Police Department, Mendez was accused of providing confidential information to a commercial sex worker who he was paying in exchange for sexual acts. The information he provided focused on an on-going police investigation in a matter that was unrelated to the investigation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the three other men.

Liberals and Progressives, including Garcia’s attorneys, have vehemently denied the MS-13 allegations, noting he has never been charged or convicted of any crime in the United States or El Salvador. Liberals and Progressives argue the gang claims are based on flimsy evidence, such as a confidential informant’s unverified statement and Garcia’s clothing (e.g., a Chicago Bulls hat). Judge Xinis herself noted Garcia has never lived in New York, where the alleged MS-13 affiliation was claimed.

Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, a U.S. citizen, has publicly defended him, emphasizing his role as a loving father and husband. She dismissed the 2021 protective order as a precautionary measure from a resolved disagreement, not evidence of criminality.

Liberals and Progressives view Garcia’s case as a “constitutional crisis” and a test of executive power, arguing against the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport over 200 people, including Garcia, without due process. Liberals and Progressives argue this sets a dangerous precedent. Legal scholars like Nicole Hallett, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School have questioned the claim that the U.S. is powerless to retrieve Garcia, citing a $6 million payment to El Salvador to detain deportees.

The case has galvanized liberal activism, with unions like SMART Local 100 and community groups rallying for Garcia. Democrats warn that Trump’s comments about deporting “home-grown criminals” to El Salvador signal potential abuses against citizens.

Some Liberals and Progressives see Garcia’s case as a rallying point to mobilize opposition to Trump’s immigration policies, or as a rallying point for blanket opposition to Donald Trump. However, some political analysts indicated that the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case distracts from economic issues where Trump is more vulnerable. Political analysts also indicate that the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case foster a negative vibe with a large amount of people in the United States are concerned that federal government has been too weak on immigration under the Biden Administration. Nevertheless, the case has gained significant traction, bonding with Hands Off protest, and with Democrat leaders planning further trips to El Salvador.

Conservative Summary:

Conservative are in alignment with the Trump Administration’s narrative, portraying Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a dangerous criminal, and Democrats as defenders of “illegal aliens.” Posts often prioritize border security over legal nuances, with some Conservatives accusing Liberals and Progressives of undermining American safety.

Liberal Summary:

Liberal and Progressives believe there is injustice in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s detention, and portray him as a victim of Trump’s authoritarian tactics. Liberal and Progressives stress the need to uphold due process, warn of broader threats to civil liberties, and disagree with outsourcing prison services to El Salvador.

Protesters in Daley Plaza downtown Chicago and downtown Arlington Heights opposed President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, federal funding, reproductive rights, deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and more. YouTube Tips ⓘ

An estimated 2,000 demonstrators attended the April 5, 2025 local “Hands Off!” protest in downtown Arlington Heights, which focused on opposition of President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk. The event started from around 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with a rally at North School Park, and grew for a couple of hours as people marched south on Arlington Heights Road to rally points at three corners of the intersection of Northwest Highway and Arlington Heights Road — the southwest corner, the northwest corner, and the northeast corner at Dunton Park.

About 600 to 800 people attended the Saturday, April 19, 2025 protest which was held in the same location from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Most of the crowd lined Northwest Highway on both sides of the US Highway (US-14) from Arlington Heights Road to Evergreen Avenue in downtown Arlington Heights.

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See also …

PGPD News | Grand Jury Indicts Suspended Officer

PGPD News | PGPD Statement on Kilmar Abrego Garcia