Governor Gavin Newsom,

We are urging you to take bold and immediate action: begin severing California’s financial and trade ties with El Salvador — a country now enabling Donald Trump to defy U.S. courts and deny basic rights to deported migrants.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, is currently imprisoned in one of El Salvador’s most dangerous prisons. He was deported from the United States despite a standing federal court order that protected him from removal. This deportation was not only inhumane — it was unlawful. Yet Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has refused to help bring him back.

Instead, Bukele appeared with Trump in the Oval Office, offering public support for a plan that violates court orders and endangers hundreds more — potentially even U.S. citizens. This alliance between Trump and Bukele is a direct threat to the rule of law and to every immigrant family in this country.

We need California — a national leader on human rights and immigrant justice — to set the tone for the rest of the country.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has already taken action, initiating a review of his state’s investments, trade ties, and procurement contracts with El Salvador. California must now lead with equal courage and principle.

We ask that you:

• Direct all state agencies to review and suspend contracts, trade relationships, and pension investments tied to El Salvador.
• Refuse to support governments complicit in unlawful deportations and human rights violations.
• Publicly call for the safe return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and all those wrongfully deported.

This is not just about policy. It’s about a man’s life — and the message we send when our courts are ignored and our values are trampled.

Governor Newsom, California cannot afford to stay silent. The world is watching.