Dems Defend Maryland Deportee & GEC Operation Ends | 4.18.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary: "Dems Defend Maryland Deportee & GEC Operation Ends" (April 18, 2025)

Presented by John Bickley and Georgia Howe from The Daily Wire

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Introduction

In the April 18, 2025 episode of Morning Wire, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe delve into pressing political and cultural issues, including a high-profile deportation case, the dismantling of a controversial State Department agency, and a landmark UK Supreme Court ruling on gender identity. This summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened.

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1. Controversial Deportation Case: Rayo Garcia

Background of the Case

The episode opens with an examination of the deportation of Rayo Garcia, an El Salvadoran citizen deported under the Trump administration. Garcia's deportation has sparked significant debate, especially as Democrats and certain media outlets advocate for his return to the United States.

John Bickley introduces the topic:

"[00:03] We're learning more about the background of an El Salvadoran citizen deported by the Trump administration."

Georgia Howe adds context:

"[00:08] Rayo Garcia's wife petitioned for an order of protection against him for two instances of domestic violence in May of 2021."

Democrats' Involvement

Senior Editor Cabot Phillips provides an in-depth analysis:

"[01:46] ...Democrats are fighting for the return of a deportee sent to El Salvador."

Phillips outlines the timeline:

"[01:56] ...Garcia was arrested by ICE in 2019 for suspected ties to the MS-13 gang and faced a deportation order. Despite a court ruling preventing his deportation due to potential threats in El Salvador, he remained in the U.S. until his final deportation in March 2025."

Legal and Political Implications

The Supreme Court's intervention is a focal point:

"[01:56] ...the Supreme Court ruled that his return to El Salvador violated the previous court order and directed the White House to facilitate his return to America."

Phillips highlights the White House's stance:

"[02:48] ...the Trump administration conceded it was a 'clerical error' but placed the onus on El Salvador officials regarding Garcia's release."

Judge James Boasberg escalates the situation:

"[04:24] ...he warned that the Trump administration could face criminal contempt charges if they do not comply with the court's directives."

Democratic Response and Criticism

Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Senator, voices support for Garcia:

"[03:39] ...'Taking away people's freedom. That does not sound like a conservative idea to me. That is something that, of course, authoritarian governments engage in, and it's a very fast road to tyranny.'"

In contrast, Patty Morin, whose daughter was a victim of an illegal immigrant, criticizes the Democrats:

"[04:04] ...'I don't understand this.'"

Phillips reveals additional details that Republicans use to argue against Garcia's return:

"[04:32] ...documents show Garcia was involved with MS-13 members, had instances of domestic abuse, and was stopped for suspected human trafficking in 2022."

John Bickley underscores the gravity of the situation:

"[06:10] Yeah, a lot of questions to be answered there for sure."

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2. Dismantling of the State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC)

The episode shifts focus to the dissolution of the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an agency accused of censoring conservative voices.

GEC's Origins and Controversies

John Bickley introduces the topic:

"[06:56] In 2011, the State Department created the Global Engagement center, designed to combat propaganda from hostile foreign groups."

Georgia Howe elaborates on its downfall:

"[07:10] ...Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the final dismantling of the GEC."

Cabot Phillips delves into the GEC's activities:

"[07:16] ...Originally aimed at countering foreign terrorist propaganda, the GEC shifted focus post-2016 to suppress American political speech."

Phillips discusses the misuse of the GEC:

"[08:00] ...the GEC funded groups like News Guard and the Global Disinformation Index, targeting American media outlets such as the New York Post and The Daily Wire."

Legal and Legislative Actions

The Daily Wire's legal battle against the GEC is highlighted:

"[08:35] ...The Daily Wire and The Federalist sued the State Department, claiming the GEC violated the First Amendment."

Patty Morin summarizes the implications:

"[09:24] ...Congress allowed the GEC to expire last year, but the Biden administration attempted to continue its operations under a different guise."

State Department's Exit Strategy

Phillips notes the State Department's measures:

"[09:26] ...Secretary Rubio announced a reduction of force, eliminating 50 positions in the successor group."

Georgia Howe comments on the resilience of bureaucratic suppression:

"[09:50] It's like whack-a-mole."

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3. UK Supreme Court Ruling on Gender Identity

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing the UK Supreme Court's ruling that legally defines a woman as a biological female, impacting transgender rights.

Details of the Ruling

John Bickley introduces the topic:

"[09:57] The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that in the eyes of the law, a woman is a biological woman, not a transgender woman."

Georgia Howe brings in expert analysis:

"[10:04] ...joining is Guy Dampier of the Legatum Institute."

Guy Dampier explains the background:

"[10:14] ...the ruling centers on defining 'woman' and 'sex' within the Equality Act 2010 as biological terms."

He discusses the Scottish government's stance:

"[10:14] ...Scottish authorities pushed for 'self-ID,' allowing individuals to declare their gender without medical intervention."

Implications of the Ruling

Dampier outlines the practical consequences:

"[12:03] ...the ruling mandates that single-sex spaces must be based on biological sex, not gender identity."

He speculates on future legislation:

"[13:01] ...Parliament will need to amend the Gender Recognition Act, which has now been superseded by this ruling."

Cultural and Social Impact

Dampier reflects on societal shifts:

"[13:55] ...there has been a backlash against transgender clinics and surgeries, with increasing skepticism about gender reassignment."

He expresses hope for cultural alignment:

"[14:30] ...the culture may begin to recognize biological reality, reducing the push for gender reassignment among vulnerable populations."

Georgia Howe acknowledges the UK's role as a trendsetter:

"[14:36] ...historically, the UK has been a few years ahead of us on this issue."

Guy Dampier concurs:

"[14:43] ...the ruling clarifies the law but anticipates ongoing battles within the government and legal challenges from activist groups."

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Conclusion

The Morning Wire episode effectively navigates complex and contentious topics, offering listeners a detailed analysis of immigration policies, governmental overreach in media censorship, and evolving definitions of gender identity in legal contexts. Through expert interviews and thorough reporting, hosts John Bickley and Georgia Howe provide a clear narrative that underscores the ongoing battles in America's political and cultural landscapes.

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For more in-depth discussions and daily updates on politics, culture, education, and sports, tune in to Morning Wire presented by The Daily Wire.

Transcript

[John Bickley]

We're learning more about the background of an El Salvadoran citizen deported by the Trump administration.

[Georgia Howe]

Rayo Garcia's wife petitioned for an order.

[Cabot Phillips]

Of protection against him for two instances of domestic violence in May of 2021.

[Georgia Howe]

Why are Democrats and the media fighting for his return?

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, April 18th, and this is Morning Wire. The State Department announces that it's fully dismantled, an agency accused of censoring conservative.

[Georgia Howe]

Voices, and the UK's Supreme Court hands down a landmark ruling defining the word woman.

[Cabot Phillips]

The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in.

[Guy Dampier]

The Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news yous need to Know.

[Luke Rosiak]

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[Georgia Howe]

As the Trump administration pushes forward with its deportation agenda, Democrats are fighting for the return of a deportee sent to El Salvador.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire Senior Editor Cabot Phillips is here now with the latest A Cabot so this case has really dominated the immigration discussion all week. First, walk us through how this all started.

[Cabot Phillips]

So the story centers around Kilmar abrego Garcia, a 29 year old man who came to the US illegally in 2011. Back in 2019, Garcia was arrested by ICE for suspected ties to the MS.13 gang and given a deportation order. However, a court ruled at the time that Abrego Garcia should not be sent to his home country of El Salvador because he might face potential threats from rival gangs there. Despite that deportation order, he remained in the country until he was arrested again by ICE in March and deported to El Salvador days later. By April, the Supreme Court ruled that his return to El Salvador violated the previous court order that he be sent elsewhere and directed the White House to facilitate his return to America. For their part, the Trump administration conceded that it was a, quote, clerical error on their part, but that it was up to officials in El Salvador about whether he should be released or not in response to their refusal to return to BR Garcia. This week, Judge James Boasberg said he had enough probable cause to charge the Trump administration with criminal contempt of court. He went on to warn that if they did not cooperate with the courts and facilitate his return, the judge could seek criminal charges against them. The White House continues to say Judge Boasberg is simply seeking to make a political statement.

[John Bickley]

All right, so yet another showdown between federal courts and the White House on immigration. And now we're seeing Democrat lawmakers get involved here as well. Tell us about that.

[Cabot Phillips]

Right. Democrats certainly used the incident to try and prove the Trump administration was being careless in their mass deportation efforts. They say Brago Garcia was a law abiding father who never should have been deported in the first place. As the story gained traction, a number of Democratic lawmakers vowed to go to El Salvador to fight for his release. First up was Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, who appeared on MSNBC from El Salvador. Have a listen.

[Chris Van Hollen]

This is by taking away people's freedom. That does not sound like a conservative idea to me. That is something that, of course, authoritarian governments engage in, and it's a very fast road to tyranny.

[Cabot Phillips]

In response, the White House hosted Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was raped and murdered in Maryland by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. She had a strong message for the lawmakers fighting to free Abrego Garcia.

[Patty Morin]

To have a senator from Maryland who didn't even acknowledge or barely acknowledge my daughter and the brutal death that she endured fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that's not even an American citizen. I don't understand this.

[John Bickley]

And now the White House has pointed to a slew of evidence that Abrego Garcia has had some run ins with law enforcement in the past. What do we know about that so far?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah, Democrats have depicted him as an upstanding citizen, husband and father. But new reports are painting a very different picture. First, the DOJ released the police report from his initial arrest back in 2019. Those documents show that Abrego Garcia was found loitering with three other men, two of whom were previously convicted Ms. 13 members. When officers approached, they attempted to hide drugs under a nearby car. At the time of his arrest, Abrego Garcia was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat. That's important because authorities say it's a clear symbol of, quote, members in good standing with the MS.13. And then we learned that in 2021, Grego Garcia's wife sought a protective order against him following years of alleged domestic abuse. According to her sworn affidavit from the time. The wife alleges that at different times Abrego Garcia punched her, leaving her with black eyes. He allegedly hit her with his work boots, scratched her eyes and even drove erratically with her one year old in the car. And that's not all. The Tennessee Star learned Wednesday that Abrego Garcia had been stopped by Tennessee highway patrol in 2022 on suspicion of human trafficking. In that case, he had been pulled over with seven individuals in his car but no luggage. When questioned, he told officers he was driving them from Texas to Maryland on behalf of his, quote, boss who worked in, quote, construction. Greg Garcia was detained for two hours and was found to not have a valid driver's license, which is a misdemeanor. The officer in that case immediately contacted the FBI and informed them he was concerned was engaged in human trafficking. But for unknown reasons, the FBI reportedly advised him to take photos of the passengers and then allow them on their way. Republicans say these stories are just further proof Abrego Garcia should have been deported long ago.

[John Bickley]

Yeah, a lot of questions to be answered there for sure. Kevin, thanks so much for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[John Bickley]

In 2011, the State Department created the Global Engagement center, designed to combat propaganda from hostile foreign groups. But after Trump's 2016 win, the Department turned its attention to throttling Americans political speech.

[Georgia Howe]

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put the final nail in the group's coffin. Here's what he told Ben Shapiro.

[Chris Van Hollen]

They started it by saying, you know, al Qaeda, isis, all these terrible groups are radicalizing people online. We should do something about it. And you know, back when they came up with that 12 years ago, whatever it was, people are like, you know, that would make sense. And then it metastasized and it's like, oh, there's foreign interference in our elections. We need to start going after that. Well, then by 2020, it became a movement to go after voices inside of American politics.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now is investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, who has been following this story closely. So, Luke, first off, what is the Global engagement Center?

[Patty Morin]

Hi, Georgia. So the GEC was created in 2011 as the center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. In 2016, Barack Obama gave it a new name and said it would, quote, coordinate U.S. government communications aimed at countering foreign terrorist propaganda, particularly from groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda. But soon it was creating pressure on US platforms via advertising boycotts to delete conspiracy theories, like the idea that coronavirus came from a Chinese lab. Like other State Department propaganda efforts, it was specifically barred from operating against Americans. But there's evidence that's exactly what it did. When you look at things like the Twitter files, which showed how the Biden administration pressured Silicon Valley platforms to censor or remove content, one of the names that keeps popping up is gec. The Dilly Wire and the Federalist actually sued the State Department, alleging that the GEC was violating the First Amendment by funding groups like News Guard and the Global Disinformation Index. The Global Disinformation Index put American media outlets on a, quote, dynamic exclusion list that was distributed to advertisers and named mainstream publications like the New York Post, Reason Magazine, and the Daily Wire and the Federalist as risky. News Guard CEO said its goal is, quote, empowering governments to support quality journalism and systematically defund sources of harmful misinformation. The Daily Wire argued that GEC was funding proxies to do what would obviously be illegal for the government to do. And GEC was extremely secretive. It used a suspicious financial structure that hid the money flow and refused to provide info to Congress.

[Georgia Howe]

So this agency is now gone?

[Patty Morin]

Yes, technically. In fact, Congress led GEC expire last year after all the outrage. But Joe Biden moved those employees to a different group, basically doing the same thing. That's why Rubio has initiated a reduction of force for 50 positions working in that successor group. So not only is that group going to be gone, but those people will also be out of government. Instead of playing a shell game, well.

[Georgia Howe]

It'S like whack a mole. Luke, thanks for coming on.

[Patty Morin]

Exactly. Thanks, Georgia.

[John Bickley]

The UK's Supreme Court has ruled that in the eyes of the law, a woman is a biological woman, not a transgender woman.

[Georgia Howe]

Joining us now from Europe to break down the ruling is Guy Dampier of the Legatum Institute. Guy, thanks for coming on. So how did this ruling come about?

[Guy Dampier]

So the ruling is all about what constitutes a woman. And it starts with the Scottish government. So the UK has a slightly unusual system of devolved governments. So there are governments in Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland who've got powers devolved to them from the main government in Westminster. And in Scotland, the Scottish nationalist government, which is very left wing, have been seeking to extend what they call trans rights. The most controversial part of this is they've been pushing for self id, which essentially allows somebody to declare that they are a woman and be recognized as a woman without any doctor being involved, without any surgery, without anything else at all. So that's very, very open to abuse. And we've seen some bad cases, as in the United States, of individuals using that as a cover for sexual fetishes or for other things. Now, the particular argument here was about a new law to increase the number of women on public boards. It's what Americans call affirmative action. In Britain, it's called positive action and it's allowed by something called the Equality Act. The Scottish government argued that this positive action should include transgender women so long as they had a gender recognition certificate. So they would be counted as women and you would basically be allowed to hire more of them, even if they had lower standards, just to reach a 5050 level. The campaign group for Women Scotland disagreed and they said that this should be restricted only to biological women. They've had a long court battle. There's been judicial reviews. They won some things, they lost some things, and it's finally gone all the way to the Supreme Court. And that court has now decided that the use of sex and the use of women in the Equality act refers to biology and to biological women, which means that transgender women are not protected against discrimination as women because they aren't women. They are still protected against discrimination as people who've undergone gender reassignment, however.

[Georgia Howe]

So a pretty significant ruling. What will it actually mean in practice?

[Guy Dampier]

It's going to be a very far reaching ruling. Britain, much like the United States, this has been a really contentious topic over the last few years. There's been a huge battle. And in fact, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, was famously once unable to say whether or not a woman has a penis. He sort of flip flopped on what he considers to be a woman. But at the same time, he's a former lawyer. So this should hopefully be professionally clarifying. And I hope that going forward he will now be able to confidently say that the law is clear that a woman is a biological woman. What it means in practice is that the Gender Recognition act, which is the law in Britain that covers transgender people is going to be pretty null because the law is now saying that sex is biological and not social. That said, transgender women who have a gender recognition certificate can still have all their legal documents describing their sex as female. And as I understand it, it's discriminatory to ask somebody if they have a gender recognition certificate.

[Georgia Howe]

So there may be some ways to undercut this ruling.

[Guy Dampier]

There may well be. I mean, the ruling has now gone out and that is clarifying, but it's going to change a lot of things. So as the Supreme Court said, Parliament is going to have to legislate to deal with those issues, including the fact that the Gender Recognition act has now basically been superseded and will need to be amended in some way. Probably. We just have to hope within that that the current Labour government will recognize biological reality. The danger is that the party is very split on the issue. On the other hand, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been very clear that the law now says that single sex spaces must be based on biological sex. So I think there'll probably be a battle within the government over the next few years about this and they're going to have to legislate. But that legislation will be very controversial and we can also expect to see legal challenges from left wing activist groups. I think the hope has to be that the we've hit peak trans, that the vibe has shifted, that the tide is beginning to roll back against the madness we've seen over the last decade. There have been a lot of scandals recently in Britain because people looked into the clinics that were dealing with transgenderism and they were encouraging children to have life altering surgery and not really giving them all the information, not really letting them understand that these were completely life changing operations. And that for most people, while some people do have real confusion over their sexual, most people actually just get over it and it turns out it's not a real issue at all. So we have to hope that if the vibe has somewhat changed, that this sort of irresponsible push for vulnerable people and vulnerable children to change sex will decrease and that there will be an admission that this is something that's biologically impossible. Let's hope that the culture catches up to that.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, historically the UK has been a few years ahead of us on this issue, so maybe it will here. Guy, thanks so much for coming on.

[Guy Dampier]

My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

[John Bickley]

Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more news.

[Guy Dampier]

You need to know.