MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend warned on Saturday that “people of color” will be “next” after the Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant living in Maryland, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) last month, and officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which Abrego Garcia’s attorneys deny.
On “The Weekend” Saturday, Sanders-Townsend discussed Abrego Garcia’s case with her guests, Michael Steele and Rep. Glen Ivey, D-Md., and cautioned that the Trump administration’s deportation efforts wouldn’t end with illegal immigrants.
‘MARYLAND MAN’ KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA EXPOSED IN POLICE RECORDS AS ‘VIOLENT’ REPEAT WIFE BEATER
Sanders-Townsend referenced an op-ed by NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Janai Nelson which argued that the Trump administration’s “lawlessness” should alarm everyone because it demonstrates how democracies are dismantled, “brick by brick.”
“But to me, that is why Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s specific case, the case of the gentleman who’s a make-up artist out of California who was also sent to that prison— the 75% of the folks who have been sent, the men who have been sent there that don’t have criminal records — that is why this is so important,” the MSNBC host continued.
“Because if they can do it to them, if they can snatch students off the street without any pushback or recourse, they will do it to any of us,” she added. “To be very clear, it’s going to be the people of color, and vulnerable communities that are next in line.”
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The Maryland lawmaker agreed, saying that was the reason why Abrego Garcia was being supported by the Black community.
“I think that’s right,” he began. “That’s certainly part of why the African-American community is so strongly behind supporting Kilmar.”
“As you just said, if they are going to whisk them away, what are they going to do with us?” he continued.
The discussion came on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling Saturday to temporarily block the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Trump has invoked the wartime law to target terrorist organizations like Tren de Aragua (TdA) residing in the U.S. for deportation.
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Fox News’ Hanna Panreck contributed to this article.