REPORT: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is Privately Telling Democrats to Stop the Trips to El Salvador (LUXURY RESORTS)

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has apparently figured out how bad it looks for members of his party to travel to El Salvador to advocate for illegals who have been deported by the Trump administration. He is quietly telling other Democrats to knock off the trips.

This week it was revealed that four of the Democrats who traveled to El Salvador stayed at a luxury resort. The optics of that could not be worse.

This entire affair has caused millions of Americans to wonder why Democrats would go to such lengths for people who are not even American citizens.

Jeffries distances himself from Democrat trips to El Salvador as border security debate splits party: report

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is privately signaling to fellow Democrats that it’s time to hit pause on trips to El Salvador aimed at spotlighting the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a move reflecting growing internal tensions over how the party is handling border security and immigration enforcement optics in the 2026 cycle.

Though Jeffries has publicly said Democrats are committed to securing Abrego Garcia’s return from a notorious Salvadoran prison, sources told The Bulwark that the New York Democrat has discouraged more lawmakers from traveling to the country.

One senior House staffer described the leadership’s position bluntly: “They want to let the El Salvador stuff slow down.”

“This is patently false, and thinly sourced innuendo,” said Jeffries staffer Christie Stephenson. “When Leader Jeffries says ‘more is more’ pushback on this lawless administration, he means it. As Leader Jeffries has repeatedly said, House Democrats will never stop fighting for the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia.”

Shorter Jefferies: No more trips to the Hilton San Salvador hotel bar to defend criminal illegal aliens. pic.twitter.com/oAQp0ENhaJ

does fighting to bring back terrorists and illegal immigrant gang members not poll well? https://t.co/v7otk2YXMa

You don’t need to be an expert in polling or public relations to know how bad this looked for Democrats.

DC Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser’s 2023 tripped to Doha, the capital of Qatar; a FOIA request show the Qatari govt “donated” $61,930 travel costs for Bowser and four staffers. Under DC law, donations must be formally submitted, reviewed, and approved before acceptance, but no such process took place.

In Feb 2025 Bowser asked Qatari officials for a breakdown of the $61,930 for her 2023 trip in order to draft a “donation agreement...agreements to be submitted and approved before accepting any donation, not retroactively.

washingtonexaminer.com

Jive-talking black Cong Jasmine Crockett has long accepted big bucks from foreigners:
<><>Between Feb. 21-27, 2023, Crockett embarked on a trip to Doha, the capital of Qatar,
<><>congressional records show it was paid for by the US-Qatar Business Council,
<><>the US-Qatar Business Council is a trade association with links to the Qatari government.
<><>Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad Al Thani, of Qatar’s royal family, is the Qatari managing director
<><>the US-Qatar Business Council partners with “Gulf Times,” a Qatari state-run news outlet.
<><>During her comped trip to Doha, Crockett stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Lusail Doha,
<><>Waldorf Doha, is a five-star waterfront resort boasting seven luxury restaurants and a waterpark.
<><>the Qatar Council arranged multiple meetings between Crockett and high-ranked govt figures.
<><>her family members were reportedly also invited on the trip.
<><>Crockett also went on several “cultural exchange” trips
<><>these were paid for by the Indian and Emirati govts, official records say.
<><>“Cong Crockett files financial disclosures and documents as per federal law,” her COS said.
<><>no word on whether Crockett jive-talked Quatari officials or spoke plain English

Democrats Enjoyed Luxury Resort’s 5-star Comforts
While Protesting Deportation Of MS-13 Gangbanger
The Daily Caller, Adam Pack, Tue, April 29, 2025
Andi Shae Napier contributed to reporting.

Four House Democrats who raced to El Salvador to stand up for a deported illegal migrant with alleged criminal ties stayed in a luxury hotel with panoramic views of the country’s greenery, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned. Democratic Reps. Maxwell Frost of Florida, Robert Garcia of California, Maxine Dexter of Oregon and Yassamin Ansari of Arizona traveled to the capital city of San Salvador to advocate for the release of reputed MS-13 gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia on April 21. They stayed at the Hilton San Salvador, a luxury property situated against a picturesque backdrop of the capital city’s volcano, a source familiar with the members’ accommodations told the DCNF. (RELATED: Cuellar Says Democrats Made Wrong Choice In Case Of Deported MS-13 Suspect)

The San Salvador hotel boasts rooms with scenic views of the capital city’s landscape and an outdoor terrace where guests can enjoy margaritas and dine on local culinary treats, including made-to-order pupusas. The hotel is described as providing a “tranquil retreat” for “those seeking comfort and convenience,” according to Hotels.com. Google rates the property as a five-star hotel.

House Republicans’ campaign arm sharply criticized the four Democrats for taking a “tropical vacation” during a congressional recess period when lawmakers are given time to spend in their district. “House Democrats booked their tropical vacation to El Salvador in the lap of luxury,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen told the DCNF. “While the American people suffer the consequences of the Biden Border Crisis importing illegal immigrant crime and fentanyl, these Democrats demonstrated again they are completely out of touch with voters.”

Spokespeople for the four House Democrats did not respond to the DCNF’s multiple request for comment to confirm their stay at the swank property. The lawmakers appeared to conceal their luxe accommodations in content posted to social media. Ansari posted a video shot in her hotel room explaining her visit to El Salvador with only the curtains and blank wall space visible. “I am in El Salvador because I will not stand by while our country is thrown into a constitutional crisis,” Dexter wrote on the left-leaning X alternative Bluesky on April 21. “This is a moment to act. I will not rest until due process is upheld for all.”

pic-—Democratic Oregon Rep. Maxine Dexter films a video in the terrace area of the Hilton San Salvador. (Bluesky/Screenshot) Dexter neglected to mention that she filmed the protest message in a space similar to that of the Hilton San Salvador’s terrace area, which the hotel boasts as the optimal space for relaxation. pic——The Hilton San Salvador’s terrace area where Democratic Oregon Rep. Maxine Dexter appeared to film the video posted to Bluesky. (Hotels.com)

“This is on its way to a major constitutional crisis,” Garcia told CBS News in an interview that took place during the California Democrat’s junket to El Salvador on April 21. “Democrats have to continue to show up and bring attention to this issue.” pic——Democratic California Rep. Robert Garcia warns of a “constitutional crisis” in a luxury hotel room (CBS News/Screenshot). Garcia appears to be speaking in a hotel room with similarities to images of the Hilton San Salvador’s rooms available on Hotels.com. The curtains and lamp visible in Garcia’s shot match photos of the property’s hotel rooms on the property’s social media and hotel booking websites.

“I’m here [in El Salvador] on behalf of the people I represent in Orlando, Florida,” Frost said in a video posted to Instagram on April 21 that he shot on the hotel property. “Members of Congress have to come here and use the privilege we have to advocate at the highest levels to make sure that Kilmar’s brought home.” pic——Democratic Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost posted an Instagram Reel in an outside area of the Hilton San Salvador on April 21. (Instagram/Screenshot)
Frost filmed the video in a section of the Hilton San Salvador that provides views of the city’s verdant landscape. The space frequently hosts weddings, according to a review of the luxury hotel’s social media. pic——The space where Democratic Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost filmed a video advocating for Abrego Garcia’s release seen hosting a wedding (Instagram/Screenshot)

The four House Democrats held a press conference at the property’s outdoor wedding area with Abrego Garcia’s lawyer on April 21. A report from Migrant Insider described the briefing as “chaos” with one reporter suggesting they picked the outdoor location with views of the city’s volcano because “they wanted a nice background.” Another suggested the Democratic lawmakers were campaigning for constituents back home. The lawmakers ultimately left El Salvador without securing a meeting with the reputed MS-13 gangbanger. A third reporter told Migrant Insider that the lawmakers’ junket to the capital city had been “pointless.”

Despite Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveling to El Salvador on the taxpayer’s dime, the Four House Democrats did not use taxpayer funds to pay for trip to the Central American country. House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer denied Democrats’ request to send an official Congressional delegation to El Salvador, which would have paid for the trip with taxpayer dollars.

“It is absurd that you both displayed active hostility for over two years toward the Committee’s oversight of the Biden Border Crisis and the consequences of millions of illegal aliens entering the country, yet now, you are seeking travel at Committee expense to meet with foreign gang members,” Comer wrote in an April 18 letter to Frost and Garcia, who both sit on the Oversight Committee. “If you also wish to meet with him, you can spend your own money.”

A spokesperson for Ansari told the DCNF that the Arizona congresswoman “self-funded” her trip to El Salvador. Spokespersons for Dexter and Garcia previously said they financed their own travel to the Central American country. A spokesperson for Frost did not respond to the DCNF’s multiple requests for comment about how the Florida Democrat paid for the trip.

Abrego Garcia has been accused of participating in human trafficking and being affiliated with the MS-13 gang. The Trump administration has argued they cannot facilitate the reputed gangbanger’s return to the United States despite the Supreme Court’s ruling because he is under El Salvador’s jurisdiction. Despite Abrego Garcia’s alleged ties to a criminal migrant gang, Frost said additional Democrats are likely to visit the Central American country to advocate for his release.

“Here’s the good news — we won’t be the last [Democratic lawmakers to visit El Salvador],” Frost said in the Instagram Reel. “We won’t be the last members of Congress here. We gotta keep the pressure up.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries immediately pivoted to attacking Trump when pressed by the DCNF Monday about whether more Democrats should follow Frost’s advice and travel to El Salvador.

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