Sen. Chris Van Hollen Calls BS After Gavin Newsom Calls Debate Over Unlawful Deportation A ‘Distraction’

One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fellow Democrats took an apparent dig at him for calling the unlawful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia “the distraction of the day.”

On Sunday’s episode of “Meet the Press,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) plainly told NBC News’ Kristen Welker that politicians who aren’t willing to defend the constitution don’t “deserve to lead.”

Van Hollen balked when asked to respond to Newsom arguing that his party should be attacking President Donald Trump’s economic policies instead of advocating for immigrant’s rights, which he essentially called a losing issue.

“I don’t think it’s ever wrong to stand up for the Constitution,” said the senator, who went to El Salvador to push for Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. last week. “And this is not about one man. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights for everybody.”

“I think Americans are tired of elected officials or politicians who are all finger to the wind,” he went on, adding, “Anybody who can’t stand up for the Constitution and the right of due process doesn’t deserve to lead.”

Abrego Garcia’s case has been in the spotlight since he, along with over 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men accused of gang affiliations, were whisked to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison last month.

Abrego Garcia had entered the U.S. without authorization in 2012, but after being arrested in 2019, an immigration judge barred his removal from the U.S, citing reasonable proof he would face “future persecution” from local gangs if he returned to El Salvador.

While the Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of the MS-13 gang, citing information from his previous encounters with authorities, Abrego Garcia has denied the claims.

Newsom’s point about the unpopularity of migrants’ rights was likely drawing on new polling which showed a majority of Americans would support a government effort to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

While the governor described sweeping deportations as Republican’s “80-20 issue” in his comments, The Washington Post-Ipsos poll revealed that 56% of registered voters today favored the policy, up from just 38% in 2016.