Dear MoveOn member,
Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement just knowingly detained a U.S. citizen.1
Georgia-born U.S. citizen Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez was headed to work in Florida when he was arrested and held in prison on an ICE hold. Shockingly, the judge who personally saw his U.S. birth certificate said she had no authority to override ICE.2
As the Trump administration continues to defy a Supreme Court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported, from the brutal megaprison Donald Trump is funding in El Salvador, ICE is getting more brazen—and every red line imaginable has been crossed.3,4
If Donald Trump is allowed to ignore the laws of our land, all of our rights are in danger.
Congress is in recess, and MoveOn is mobilizing to stop this abuse of our Constitution and due process. We have a 24/7 #BringKilmarHome plan to pressure our representatives to stand up to Trump, and it’s in action right now.
But this kind of targeted, strategic organizing requires resources. Will you make an emergency donation of $9 right now to fund our campaign during this critical April recess period? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Trump’s use of ICE and El Salvador’s notorious prison is a horrifying abuse of civil rights and human rights.
Due process has flown out the window. Lopez-Gomez was detained under an unconstitutional Florida law that is blocked in the courts, and Abrego Garcia was never charged at all before being abducted to the Salvadoran prison, CECOT.5,6
And the Salvadoran prison not only bars U.S. prisoners from accessing their attorneys or the courts, it is infamous for human rights abuses. Eighty prisoners are held within each 100-square-meter cell, and the prison is known for “life-threatening” conditions.7
The Supreme Court issued a 9-0 order to bring Abrego Garcia home, but Trump is claiming he has no power to do so. At the same time, he has said that he would have “no problem” sending U.S. citizens to a foreign prison.8 And on Friday, the White House said that Abrego Garcia is “not coming back,” full stop.9
The Trump administration is defying the Supreme Court, but they are not ignoring public outrage.
After Lopez-Gomez’s case was publicized, he was released from detainment.10 And after weeks of no contact and pressure from the public, Abrego Garcia was finally allowed to meet with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen.11
That’s why MoveOn is taking action: During the April congressional recess, we're mobilizing in full force to stop these lawless abductions.
MoveOn has identified seven House Republicans who represent moderate districts. These lawmakers know they don’t represent MAGA districts and can't afford to be seen as enabling human rights abuses and constitutional violations. With enough pressure from constituents, we can force these Republicans to be the ones to stand up to Trump, which is why we are doing the following:
- Planning a MoveOn-member phone bank to push thousands of calls to these representatives, asking them to fight back against Trump’s abuse of power
- Staging actions outside of congressional offices to raise awareness and turn up the heat
- Continuing to highlight to the public the constitutional crisis we are in
If Trump can imprison someone without due process, evidence, or a trial, he can do it to anyone—including U.S. citizens that he deems to be political enemies. We must act now.
Will you donate $9 right now to fund our April recess campaign? (If you have saved your payment information with ActBlue, your donation will go straight through.)
Thanks for all you do.
–Mia, Allison, Matthew, Rahna, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Mid-commute traffic stop left US citizen detained under an ICE order. Then, a Florida judge verified his US birth certificate," CNN, April 18, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/us/lopez-gomez-citizen-detained-ice-florida/index.html
2. Ibid.
3. "Trump officials’ defiance over Abrego Garcia’s deportation is ‘shocking,’ appeals court says," AP News, April 17, 2025
https://apnews.com/article/abrego-garcia-trump-maryland-el-salvador-2090f0dd508bbc3d2f60845842af27b4
4. "El Salvador prison holding alleged Venezuelan gang members has been criticized for alleged abuses," ABC News, March 26, 2025
https://abcnews.go.com/US/el-salvador-prison-holding-alleged-venezuelan-gang-members/story?id=120178927
5. "Mid-commute traffic stop left US citizen detained under an ICE order. Then, a Florida judge verified his US birth certificate," CNN, April 18, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/us/lopez-gomez-citizen-detained-ice-florida/index.html
6. "El Salvador prison holding alleged Venezuelan gang members has been criticized for alleged abuses," ABC News, March 26, 2025
https://abcnews.go.com/US/el-salvador-prison-holding-alleged-venezuelan-gang-members/story?id=120178927
7. "Trump said it out loud: He wants to deport Americans to El Salvador’s CECOT," The Hill, April 17, 2025
https://thehill.com/opinion/5251941-trump-administration-exporting-americans/
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. "Bondi defiant, says Abrego Garcia will stay in El Salvador 'end of the story,'" Fox News, April 16, 2025
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bondi-defiant-says-abrego-garcia-stay-el-salvador-end-story
11. "Mid-commute traffic stop left US citizen detained under an ICE order. Then, a Florida judge verified his US birth certificate," CNN, April 18, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/us/lopez-gomez-citizen-detained-ice-florida/index.html
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?
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