A veteran Democratic strategist is warning his party against aligning too closely with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran deported last month, whom the Trump administration describes as an MS‑13 member and violent domestic abuser.

During a Friday appearance on CNN’s The Arena with Kasie Hunt, strategist Mo Elleithee reminded Democrats that they “don’t know all of the details about this guy,” and warned against making him a “martyr.” Rather, he advised party members to focus more on how President Donald Trump is allegedly “chipping away at our rights.”

“Let’s not make him a martyr. Let’s make this about the fact that Donald Trump and his administration are chipping away at our rights on a daily basis,” Elleithee said during a panel discussion.

At a Friday press conference, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D‑Md.) detailed his recent meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador and vowed to keep pressing for his release from the country’s mega-prison.

Elleithee pushed back, doubting that Van Hollen’s message would “resonate with the rest of the country.”

“Look, I think everyone in the White House are giving each other high-fives, and everyone who supports the guy in El Salvador are giving each other high-fives, right? Both sides have kind of gone to their corners and are saying this is the fight we want to have. Whereas I don’t necessarily know it’s the conversation that would actually resonate with the rest of the country,” Elleithee said.