"I'm here at the airport. I'm about to board my flight for San Salvador. The goal of this mission is to let the Trump administration, to let the government of El Salvador know we are gonna keep fighting. What bullies do is they begin by picking on the most vulnerable. But if we get rid of the rule of law and due process in the United States, it's a short road from there to tyranny."

That message came from Sen. Chris Van Hollen moments before boarding his flight to El Salvador this morning. He’s traveling to demand the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident currently detained in a Salvadoran prison.

Meanwhile, two House Democrats — Reps. Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost — are requesting an official congressional delegation (or CODEL) to visit the prison where Trump’s deportees are being held.

But here's the catch: a Republican committee chair has to sign off. Without it, lawmakers can go informally, but they lose access to security protections and oversight power.

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