Grassley jeered at over deportation of Maryland man to El Salvador

» Grassley jeered at over deportation of Maryland man to El Salvador

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“El Salvador is an independent country. The president of that country is not subject to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Grassley said as the crowd began yelling in response.

Constituents at the town hall in Lee County, Iowa, wanted Grassley to address why Congress has not taken action after the Trump administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was living in Maryland with his family and was granted protection from deportation by a court in 2019. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declined to return him to the U.S., calling the idea “preposterous” during an Oval Office meeting on Monday.

“The framers of the constitution said that every person, not citizen, every person within the jurisdiction of the United States has due process,” a constituent said in response to Grassley, accusing President Donald Trump of ignoring the Supreme Court order and calling it evidence of the administration’s willingness to ignore judicial authority. 

“We would like to know what you — as the people, the Congress, who are supposed to rein in this dictator, what are you going to do about it? What are you going to do about these people who have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a foreign country with no due process? Why won’t you do your job?” the constituent asked.

After a lengthy back and forth, Grassley admitted that the only tool Congress has to rein in the executive branch is impeachment but then attempted to pivot to other topics.

A different speaker told Grassley she was concerned about the president’s immigration enforcement policies and their effect on asylum-seekers.

“I believe very strongly in my Christian faith. I preach on Sundays,” the woman said. “Turning away people who have come here for asylum is one of the most shameful things we are doing right here.” 

The attendee urged Grassley to ensure the U.S. adheres more closely to international law and upholds “the ideals of our country to be a place of hope for others.”

Grassley responded, “I would welcome refugees; I would welcome people seeking asylum.”

Several constituents prompted Grassley, who has served in the Senate since 1981, about his constitutional oath, with one questioning whether he was honoring it. Frustration boiled over in the crowd as Grassley struggled to clarify his stance.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) takes questions at a town hall in Fort Madison, Iowa, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Hannah Fingerhut)

Grassley, 91, is known for holding town hall meetings annually in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. The Iowa senator began his 45th year of the meetings last month after the National Republican Congressional Committee advised House Republicans against holding public town halls after attendees’ anger over Trump’s administration policies went viral. Top Republicans in the House have alleged that Democrats are paying protesters and organizing attendance at Republican town halls to blast lawmakers on a series of topics.

At the beginning of the town hall, a speaker questioned Grassley over tariffs, asking the senator how he intends to “protect your constituents and other Americans from the risks of inflation and recession that could result from President Trump’s tariffs.”

The Iowa Republican touted his bipartisan tariff review bill, which he introduced with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill would give Congress the authority to end tariffs at any time by passing a resolution of disapproval.

“Trump has raised the issue of tariffs … This is my attempt to recapture that power for the Congress of the United States, where it shouldn’t have been given up in the first place,” Grassley said. 

Another speaker asked Grassley about a budget plan recently passed by the House of Representatives that lays the groundwork for extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. She asked the Iowa senator why lawmakers aren’t doing “more to make the billionaires pay more.”

Grassley responded that the Finance Committee is discussing raising the marginal tax rate for Americans in the highest income bracket. In its most recent significant tax cut in 2017, Republicans reduced marginal tax rates for all income levels, including lowering the top rate from 39.6% to 37%.

“It might surprise you, the list of possibilities … the Finance Committee are going to discuss raising from 37% to 39.6%” in taxes on the wealthy,” Grassley said in response. 

He also addressed potentially raising the marginal tax rate for top earners, saying, “The idea is that we could use the additional revenue to expand the child tax credit.” 

Grassley remained calm as some of those gathered in Fort Madison shouted. Multiple people rose from their seats at once, including one man wearing a Make America Great Again hat in the front row.

At one point, Grassley was asked whether he was “proud of voting for Trump and what he’s doing right now.”

Grassley responded, “There’s no president I’ve agreed with 100% of the time.”

Audience members expressed appreciation for Grassley listening to their concerns despite some interruptions and protests during the town hall.

In a lighter moment, one constituent thanked Grassley for helping his father, who was suffering from shrapnel wounds while serving in World War II and the Korean War and was struggling to get coverage from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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“I contacted your office, and they told me you would look into the matter personally, and they got a letter back saying that you had looked into the matter personally and that my father would be covered,” the man said. “We’ve had the greatest benefits for the last 20 years that a person could ask for; he got all the coverage he needed.”

“He passed away three weeks ago at 97, and I wanted you to know he was a strong supporter of you, and he lived long enough to vote for you again,” the man added.





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