An attempt to oppose President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda has resulted in Democratic Party infighting, according to several reports. Over the past several weeks, congressional Democrats have been rallying around Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvador native who was deported to that country after federal law enforcement identified him as an affiliate of the international criminal gang and foreign terrorist organization Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). The Bulwark recently reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has been quietly urging his congressional colleagues to back away from the issue and stop visiting El Salvador, where Garcia is incarcerated. “They want to let the El Salvador stuff slow down,” a senior House staffer was quoted as saying.

Although Jeffries issued a statement following the story’s publication expressing support for Garcia and other deportees, The Bulwark carefully noted that the congressman’s “office did not initially push back when contacted prior to publication,” but instead “sidestep[ped]” the issue until after the article was published.

Another senior House staffer was quoted as saying, “One trip was sufficient,” referring to Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-Md.) visit to El Salvador. The staffer anticipated that repeated Democratic visits to an accused MS-13 member might not look good for the party and would only serve as “fodder for the National Republican Campaign Committee to start using it against other Democrats.” In a comment aimed at congressional Democrats, the staffer added, “They should understand that what they’re doing is going to be hurting us in the long run.”

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) also openly questioned the wisdom of his Democratic colleagues flocking to El Salvador. “This is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States,” the Democrat said in a Fox News interview. He added, “Democrats should not take this issue. When you look at immigration, is this the immigration case you want to take to fight on? In my opinion, absolutely no.”

The Washington Stand previously reported that Democratic Party strategists and consultants have also advised against rallying around Garcia. “People can’t afford eggs, and … you’re flying to sit with someone who’s accused of being in a gang,” one party operative complained. He continued, “We need to step back and wait for someone to be deported who has a really compelling story that’s devastating[,] that Average Joe’s upset about. That person hasn’t presented themselves yet.” Another operative explained that the focus on Garcia is only “giving the White House and the Republicans a lot of images and visuals that they think are compelling for them.”

Ahead of last year’s presidential election, Trump was besting Democratic opponents in polling, with immigration as one of two top concerns for voters. Independent and undecided voters supported Trump’s immigration agenda, and mass deportations proved popular with a majority of Americans. Even now, a majority of Americans support the president’s deportation agenda. An April CNBC/Hart Research poll found that 52% of Americans favor “deporting illegal immigrants.” A CBS/YouGov poll found that 58% of Americans back deportations. A Pew Research Center survey found that while only a third of Americans back deporting all illegal immigrants, over half of Americans are in favor of some or most deportations, and a staggering 97% of Americans say that violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants should automatically trigger deportation.