Karoline Leavitt slams Democrats for prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens: 'It's mind-boggling'

Karoline Leavitt's remarks came after a Democratic senator said he will visit El Salvador to check on a man deported over suspected MS-13 ties
PUBLISHED APR 16, 2025
Karoline Leavitt slammed the Democrats during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, April 15 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Karoline Leavitt slammed the Democrats during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, April 15 (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: The White House is doubling down on its criticism of congressional Democrats, accusing them of putting the interests of “illegal immigrant gang members” ahead of the needs and safety of everyday Americans.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt went straight at them Tuesday, April 15, calling it "mind-boggling" that some members of Congress are spending time fighting for the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident the Donald Trump administration deported due to suspected MS-13 links, reports Fox News.



 

Karoline Leavitt slams Democrats for defending 'illegal immigrant gang members'

At the press conference, Karoline Leavitt said, "It's mind-boggling the priorities of the modern-day Democrat Party."

"I think it's atrocious that you have Democrats in Congress on Capitol Hill who swear an oath to protect their constituents and to serve them in Washington, DC, spending more time defending illegal immigrant gang members than their own constituents and law-abiding American citizens," she added. 

Leavitt's remarks came after news emerged that Maryland Sen Chris Van Hollen is considering a trip to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia, who is being held at the country's mega-prison, Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). 

Van Hollen said he may travel if the individual isn’t brought back to the US by "midweek." 

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 26: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks at a news conference on the Trump Administration's planned cuts to the Social Security Administration at the Capitol on March 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. The news conference comes a day after Frank Bisignano, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration, testified before the Senate Finance Committee and faced questions over proposed DOGE cuts and the agency's ability to process and distribute benefit checks. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks at a news conference on the Trump Administration's planned cuts to the Social Security Administration at the Capitol on March 26, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

At an Oval Office meeting on Monday, officials from the Trump administration and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele claimed they don't have the power to bring Maryland resident Abrego Garcia back to the US. 

Neither the US nor El Salvador seems willing or able to get him back.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office of the White House April 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Bukele were expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues including the detention of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who has been held in a prison in El Salvador since March 15. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump meets with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in the Oval Office of the White House on April 14, 2025, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Bukele said outright that he won’t be helping. "How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don't have the power to return him to the United States," he stated. 

Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi asserted that Abrego Garcia's fate rests in the hands of El Salvador, not the US government, despite the Supreme Court saying that the Trump administration must "facilitate" his return to the US. 

Internet agrees as Karoline Leavitt accuses Democrats of prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens

Karoline Leavitt's remarks about Democrats quickly went viral, prompting an outpouring of reactions across social media.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 15: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt took questions on the Trump administration's plan to block federal grants and contracts from Harvard University, deportations, a Russia peace deal with Ukraine and other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 15, 2025, in Washington, DC (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

One wrote, “They’ll never learn. The Democrat party is truly America Last. They hate America,” while another added, “Bingo, she nailed it. Dems’ priorities are whack.”

“It’s all just anti-Trump, anti-Trump,” a person remarked. “I wish I was surprised by all of this, but I’m not anymore,” one more commented.

An individual expressed, "Agreed, mostly... there is bad on all spectrums, alt anything is no good." 



 



 



 



 



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Ron DeSantis unveiled an AI Bill of Rights for Floridians, outlining parental controls, disclosure rules, and limits on AI use in therapy
12 hours ago
Attorneys general said the H‑1B fee threatened public services, warning that hospitals, schools, and agencies would struggle to fill shortages
2 days ago
The new 'Deb’s Law', set to take effect in September 2026, allows eligible adults to self-administer life‑ending medication under strict safeguards
2 days ago
Micah Beckwith says White House 'told many lawmakers' that roads and bases were at risk if they didn't eliminate Democratic districts
3 days ago
Florida Governor urges state legislators to bypass 'career politicians' in Washington, citing 95% incumbent reelection rate
3 days ago
Twenty Republicans joined Democrats in passing the bill, which aims to reinstate collective bargaining rights for nearly a million federal employees
3 days ago
It will give the Trump administration tools to push back on the most 'onerous' state rules, White House AI adviser David Sacks said
3 days ago
Kristi Noem said no US citizens or military veterans have been deported under the Trump administration
4 days ago
Republicans Murkowski, Collins, Sullivan, and Hawley broke ranks to back an ACA subsidy extension by Dems, but the bill still fell short of advancing
4 days ago
Dems lost bid to extend Obamacare tax credits before January deadline as the measure fell short of 60 votes, despite 4 GOP senators siding with them
4 days ago