1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I’m writing to light a spark, not just for Jordin Alexander Melgar-Salmeron, but for our democracy. You may remember the uproar over Kilmar Abrego García, the Maryland father wrongfully deported to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison despite a court order and later brought back after a public and judicial revolt. Well, that shouldn’t be history, just a warning light flashing “Don’t let it happen again.” And right now, it is happening again. On May 7, 2025, only 30 minutes after a federal appeals court explicitly barred his removal, Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, a Virginian who’d served time for possessing an unregistered shotgun and was in immigration detention since 2022, was forcibly deported to El Salvador anyway. This wasn’t oversight; it was defiance. Fast forward to June 24, 2025, when the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the administration to “facilitate his return to the U.S. as soon as possible,” demanding updates on his location and the steps being taken. But reports show the DOJ claims only that he may be paroled if he reaches a border, not that they’ll bring him back. That’s basically saying: “Yes, we broke the court’s order, and now you figure it out.” Here’s the reality: Jordin is locked behind bars in El Salvador, likely in a high-security facility under brutal conditions. His false deportation violated the executive branch’s duty to obey the court, and now they want to shrug and say: “Our bad?” This isn’t political theater — it’s a constitutional meltdown. Our founding fathers built a system where each branch watches the others. The judicial branch ruled, and the executive branch ignored it. That’s not just a scandal. It’s a system on its knees. Senators, this is your moment to step up. Demand that the administration act swiftly and practically to bring Jordin home. Compel them to do what courts and decency require: facilitate his return, locate him, and ensure his case is handled as if he’d never been unlawfully removed. We’ve seen the system work before, with Abrego García, but only because people fought. As a Virginian, a human of conscience, and a believer in checks and balances, I refuse to stand by while one of us is disappeared into a torture facility. Our federal government must be more than a de facto power trip; it must obey the courts. It has to know: when you break the law, we will not go quiet. Our democracy demands better. Human dignity demands better. Bring Jordin home.