U.S. Rep. Henry Cueller, a Texas Democrat and a Mexican American, says his party is losing credibility with its advocacy of an illegal immigrant the Trump administration alleges is a violent MS-13 member.
“This is not the right issue to talk about due process,” Cuellar told the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio. “This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States.”
The Texas lawmaker is speaking of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the 29-year-old illegal immigrant deported in March to a prison in El Salvador.
The Salvadoran has become a cause célèbre among progressive lawmakers and legacy media who portrayed him as a “Maryland man” and tracked every detail of his case while largely ignoring victims of violent crimes perpetrated by alien criminals.
Homeland Security officials allege Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the violent MS-13 gang, took part in human trafficking, and sports tattoos on his fingers that symbolize the violent gang.
The agency also publicized court documents of a protective order granted to his wife after she alleged instances of domestic violence. She has since recanted the charges.
Despite being subject to two deportation orders, supporters of Abrego Garcia claim he was denied “due process” after his 2025 deportation was described in court as an “administrative error.”
Cueller, however, said support for the Salvadoran, which has included visits to his prison by some Democrat lawmakers, is a political loser.
Cueller’s father was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. The lawmaker’s 28th district, which extends from the San Antonio suburbs to the Rio Grande, is heavily Latino. He has represented voters there since 2005.
Cueller says he is hearing from them. He told Kilmeade:
People were saying, “Our parents came in the legal way. They came in, became legal residents,” and, “They came in and did it the right way.” But when you see people jumping in, not knowing who they are. That’s something wrong.
Cuellar also expressed support for some of Trump’s policies on the border. He cited increased security and enforcement and disagreed with previous Democrat claims that the border is secure.
“The president has gotten Mexico to engage a lot more, if he can get them to play defense on their under 20-yard line instead of our 1-yard line called the U.S. border, then the better it is,” Cuellar concluded.
