Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has pledged to travel to El Salvador in an attempt to secure the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member who was deported under the Trump administration and is currently imprisoned in the Central American country. Van Hollen claims the man, a resident of Maryland and father of three, was “illegally abducted” from the United States.
Van Hollen told reporters that he reached out to El Salvador’s ambassador and has requested a meeting with President Nayib Bukele, who visited the White House on Monday. Bukele stated he would not return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., emphasizing that the matter is now under El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
“If we can’t meet here, I do intend to go to El Salvador to discuss the release of this individual who is illegally detained,” Van Hollen said. He accused both the Trump administration and Vice President Kamala Harris of lying about Abrego Garcia’s background, stating there is no criminal record and labeling his detention as “kidnapping.”
Homeland Security officials have rejected Van Hollen’s assertions. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia Mclaughlin told Fox News that Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien with documented ties to MS-13. “He was in our country illegally, he is from El Salvador, was born in El Salvador, and, oh, the media forgot to mention: He is a MS-13 gang member,” she said. “He should be in this El Salvador prison, a prison for terrorists, and I hope he will remain there.”
The legal battle and political tug-of-war over Abrego Garcia highlights deep partisan divides on immigration and national security, with federal officials maintaining that his deportation and continued detention are justified under current law.
