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Dems hold meetings in El Salvador, seeking release of Maryland man

WASHINGTON (NYT) — Four House Democrats traveled to El Salvador on Monday to press for the release of a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported there last month, and to demand updates on him and other migrants who are imprisoned there.

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The visit was the latest bid by Democrats in Congress to amplify the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man whom Trump administration officials have admitted to erroneously sending back to his home country, and hundreds of other immigrants the administration has hastily deported.

Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Maxine E. Dexter of Oregon met with William H. Duncan, the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, at the embassy in San Salvador on Monday morning. They urged the ambassador to raise the issue with Salvadoran officials and to press for transparency about Abrego Garcia’s detention.

The lawmakers said they had not been permitted by Salvadoran officials to meet with Abrego Garcia.

After their meeting, a U.S. Embassy official said the lawmakers’ concerns had been relayed to the Salvadoran government.

The official said it was the first time the embassy had raised questions to President Nayib Bukele’s administration about the treatment of more than 250 Venezuelan migrants now being held in Salvadoran custody.

At a news conference after the meeting, the Democrats denounced the Trump administration’s failure to comply with court orders, including a Supreme Court decision instructing the administration to take steps to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States.

Delta plane suffers engine fire in Orlando, forcing evacuation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A Delta Air Lines plane carrying nearly 300 passengers suffered an engine fire after pushing back from the gate at Orlando International Airport in Florida on Monday, forcing the passengers to evacuate using slides, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The Airbus A330 was set to depart for Atlanta when the engine caught fire around 11:15 a.m. EDT. The FAA said it will investigate.

The engine fire is the latest in a series of high-profile aviation incidents that have raised questions about U.S. aviation safety, including the January 29 mid-air collision of an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.

Delta said Flight 1213 had 282 passengers and 12 crew members and there were no initial reports of injuries. Delta flight crews “followed procedures to evacuate the passenger cabin when flames in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft’s two engines were observed.”

A social media user posted a dramatic video of what appeared to be a serious fire and flames coming from the Airbus plane and another video of passengers exiting the plane via a slide.

Orlando International Airport said in a social media post that the fire occurred on the ramp area and that the airport’s aircraft rescue and fire fighting team promptly responded.

Airbus did not immediately comment.

Delta said maintenance teams will examine the aircraft and the airline will bring in additional aircraft to help customers reach their final destinations on Monday.