Why Are We Still Debating Who Deserves Rights?

Kilmar Abrego García’s case is about injustice, but some voices are making it about optics

There’s something deeply troubling happening, and we need to talk about it.

Some Latino journalists with large audiences in both English and Spanish are publicly criticizing Democrats for defending Kilmar Abrego García. They argue he’s not the “ideal” person to rally behind. They say attention should be on different immigration cases instead.

But here’s the truth: Kilmar’s case matters because it’s one of the few times this regime has admitted it was wrong.

He was taken from Maryland and disappeared into one of the world’s most dangerous prisons in El Salvador, even though a federal court ordered that he not be removed. That is not just a mistake. That is a violation of every principle this country claims to stand for.

This admission opens a rare window for accountability, and people are responding. According to 5calls.org, this issue has sparked more calls than both tariffs and Signalgate over the past month.

But while many are demanding justice, others are distorting the narrative. According to an analysis shared in DDIA’s REDESCover newsletter, which tracks viral Spanish-language content and disinformation, Spanish-speaking social media platforms and public WhatsApp groups have been flooded with posts designed to confuse, distract, and discredit. Instead of addressing what actually happened—a man taken in defiance of a court order and held without trial—many of the most-shared posts focus on attacking his character, using fear and falsehoods to justify the harm.

And some of the people helping to spread this harm are respected journalists in our own communities. (I will give you specific examples behind the paywall below)

Their words don’t just stay online. They reach people across borders, across generations, in both English and Spanish.

That’s what makes this moment so dangerous. It’s not just the lies, it’s who is echoing them.

Meanwhile, there are leaders doing the right thing. This week, four House Democrats traveled to El Salvador to demand Kilmar’s release. They paid for the trip themselves. These representatives were:

• Robert Garcia (CA)

• Maxwell Frost (FL)

• Maxine Dexter (OR)

• Yassamin Ansari (AZ)

And they didn’t stop there. They spoke up for others, like 31-year-old Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled Venezuela as an openly gay man. He entered the U.S. legally, has no criminal record, and now he too is being held in a foreign prison with no charges and no explanation.

This is not about finding a perfect spokesperson for immigration. This is about resisting a fascist power grab that is targeting people, vanishing them across borders, and hoping we stay silent.

So what can you do?

If you see journalists or influencers downplaying this moment, speak up. Politely but firmly remind them: this is not a debate about image. This is about real people being taken from their communities and locked away without warning, without process, and without justice.

And if you want examples of the posts I’m referring to, I will give some examples behind the paywall for safety reasons.

Let’s stay focused. Let’s stay loud. And let’s remember what’s at stake.