Klobuchar argues Abrego Garcia fight is administration’s distraction from economy

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said she believes the deportation fight over Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia is the Trump administration’s way of distracting public attention away from the tariffs and economic impacts.

Klobuchar joined CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, highlighting her fellow Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s (Md.) trip to El Salvador to meet with the Abrego Garcia amid the administration’s defiance in the legal battle.

“They have picked out this case and this man because it’s about a subject that they want to keep in the news,” Klobuchar said of Abrego Garcia’s deportation. “So, it’s even more cynical than just flaunting the law.”

“They’re doing it because they want to distract people from the fact that our economy is in a tailspin thanks to them, their tariffs,” she continued.

Markets have fluctuated recently with the implementation of President Trump’s tariffs and the quick pullback of the original plan.

While the tariff agenda was dominating the news cycle both domestically and internationally, a large and growing story in recent weeks has been the administration’s wrongful deportation of Abrego Garcia.

The Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate” the return of the Maryland man but has left wiggle room for the administration to point fingers at El Salvador for his return.

Klobuchar argued that the administration has chosen “not to obey the law” in Abrego Garcia’s case, noting the timeliness of the tariffs.

“I think it’s really important for people to realize they’re following the law in other cases, they’ve just decided not to follow the law with this guy,” Klobuchar said.