Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD) flew all the way to El Salvador for a photo op in his fight to smuggle deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the US.
“I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen said.
“I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home,” he added.
WATCH:
I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia.
I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home. pic.twitter.com/MzKe7U8Wwr
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 16, 2025
To be clear, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is now home in his native country of El Salvador and Van Hollen is trying to take him out of his home country and smuggle him over the US border.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is an El Salvadoran national who was illegally residing in Maryland. In 2019, an immigration judge ordered Abrego Garcia, an alleged member of the dangerous MS-13 gang, removed from the US.
Abrego Garcia is currently being held at El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison.
Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador where he was soundly rejected by the Vice President.
What a joke.
Senator Van Hollen said his request to meet with El Salvador’s Vice President was denied.
WATCH:
NEW: Maryland Senator @ChrisVanHollen says his request made to the VP of El Salvador to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia was denied.
The senator said he was told by the Vice President “you need to make earlier provisions to visit CECOT.”
Van Hollen says he wasn’t able to meet with… pic.twitter.com/FRBYuutcNY
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) April 16, 2025
The US Supreme Court last Thursday ordered the US to facilitate the return of alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose deportation was previously blocked by a judge over his safety concerns. However, as The Gateway Pundit reported, Trump’s DOJ argued that “federal courts have no authority to direct the Executive Branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner,” and that they cannot forcibly take the individual back or force El Salvador to return him.
Photo courtesy of En Vivo – Screenshot from video.
Judge Paula Xinis an Obama appointee, slammed the Trump Administration during Friday’s hearing and demanded ‘daily updates’ on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts.
The judge said the Trump Admin has made “no meaningful effort to comply” with her order demanding the physical location and custodial status of Abrego Garcia.
Trump said he doesn’t need to ask El Salvador to do anything and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele made it clear on Monday that he was not going to smuggle a terrorist into the US.
Read the full article here