The US senator Chris van Hollen, right, meets on April 17, 2025 with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. Van Hollen, a Democrat in Maryland, had been looking for a meeting with Abrego Garcia after the government incorrectly provided him with a mega prison in his home country. (Photo on van Hollen on X.)
This story was updated at 6:01 p.m. Eastern.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration, who lives in Maryland, mistakenly deported to his homeland El Salvador, seemed to be in good health and had been moved by a notorious mega prison to another internment camp, as in his case the limits of the executive power to overwrite the rights of the United States, in the United Chris van Hollern Friday told.
Van Hollen, a Democrat of Maryland, met on Thursday with Abrego Garcia and informed reporters when visiting Dulles outside of Washington, DC
The meeting with Van Hollen was the first contact of Abrego Garcia outside of the US and El Salvador immigration and legal systems since it was deported in March, said the senator.
“His conversation with me was the first communication he had with someone outside of a prison since he was kidnapped,” said Van Hollen on Friday.
Accompanied by Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother and brother in Dulles, Van Hollen said that on Thursday evening he prepared to catch his plane from El Salvador when he got the news from the US message that he could meet with Abarmo Garcia.
The meeting came at the end of Van Hollens Second day in the countrywhere he confronted difficulties Securing a personal meeting or a telephone call with the Salvadoranian citizen. The second -term senator traveled to the Central American country this week to demand the Salvadoranian government, to release Abrego Garcia and meet with him.
Abrego Garcia said van Hollen, he was brought to a detention center in Baltimore, said van Hollen on Friday. From there he was transported to Texas and then flown to El Salvador, where he was arrested at the notorious Mega-Prison Centro de Concrinamiento del Terrorismo. Or cecot.
Vanro Garcia was brought to another El Salvador High Center on April 9, Van Hollen reported. The conditions in the new prison were better, but Abrego Garcia was still denied access to the outside world, including communication with his family or his lawyers, which is a violation of international law, said van Hollen.
The meeting occurred under close supervision of Salvadoran civil servants, said van Hollen, but Abrego Garcia occurred in appropriate health.
“He seemed to be fine with a very fleeting examination,” said Van Hollen.
Van Hollen shared a picture on Thursday on social media From his meeting with Abrego Garcia, which appeared in civilian clothes.
Constitutional conflict
While he said that the individual case of Abrego Garcia was tragic, said van Hollen, it had even greater impact on the strength of constitutional rights on a proper procedure.
“This should not be an issue for Republicans or Democrats,” he said. “This is a topic for every American who takes care of our constitution who takes care of personal freedom, who takes care of a proper procedure and who takes care of what makes America so different that adheres to all of these things. This is an American topic.”
In view of the fact that the administration ignored federal courts at every level – including a judgment of the US Court of Justice last week that the administration of President Donald Trump had to “make it easier” to return to Abrego Garcia – Van Hollen, officials from the US message in El Salvador told him not to apply for his release.
“It is very clear that the President, the Trump administration, obviously and apparently did not agree with the order of the Supreme Court,” he said.
The White House says “He doesn’t come back”
The Trump administration, which admitted to court that Abego Garcia’s deportation was due to an “administrative error”, continued on Friday to refuse to return it.
The Trump administration criticized Van Hollens’ advocacy for Abrego Garcia, and the White House was aimed at the senator on Friday on social media.
“Oh, and by the way @chrisvanhollen – he doesn’t come back”, a Post on X Read from the official report of the White House. Post contained an illustration of a heading in the New York Times at the meeting, with two sections exceeded and replaced by administrative claims about Abrego Garcia.
The administration has claimed that there are logistical reasons that Abrego Garcia cannot attribute, but some of the Federal Appeal Court appointed by Reagan Judge on Thursday – said that the executive defies the order of the Supreme Court.
Payments to El Salvador
Van Hollen said that the Trump government had promised to pay El Salvador up to $ 15 million to record the prisoners, but found that Democrats in the US Senate are not “completely powerless” to stop these payments.
“Means have to go through the congress, and at 15 million US dollars you can be sure that we are looking for where it is because this was not authorized in previous means,” he said.
He said that the Democrats are in the minority in both congress houses, but they could block all Senate financing laws that arrived in El Salvador.
“You can be sure that I will not support the use of a Penny from taxpayer dollars to illegally capture Abrego Garcia in El Salvador,” he said.
