Sen. Van Hollen Meets Abrego Garcia; El Salvador Confirms Inmate Will Stay in Custody

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador this week to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported illegal alien who federal officials say is a documented member of the violent MS-13 gang and has been accused of repeated domestic abuse.

Van Hollen, who represents Maryland, insisted that his visit to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) was about checking on Abrego Garcia’s "well-being." After being denied access multiple times, the senator eventually met face-to-face with Garcia on Thursday night despite the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration warning that Garcia’s deportation was justified based on his criminal and gang affiliations.

“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar,” Van Hollen posted on X. “Tonight I had that chance.”

Photos quickly circulated online showing the senator sitting across from Garcia at a tropical table setup complete with glasses of water, garnishes, and an ambiance far removed from the "torture chambers" Van Hollen’s allies have portrayed. El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele mocked the meeting, posting sarcastically:

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture,’ now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!”

The backlash was swift and justified.

• Garcia is not a legal U.S. resident, yet a federal court recently ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return a decision that Attorney General Pam Bondi slammed as judicial overreach.

• His wife filed handwritten abuse allegations in 2021, detailing repeated beatings and threats. “I am afraid to be close to him,” she wrote, supported by photos and videos of her injuries.

• DHS says Garcia is tied to MS-13, one of the most violent criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere, responsible for murders, trafficking, and terror throughout the U.S. and Central America.

Despite these facts, Van Hollen and other Democrats have prioritized an illegal immigrant’s comfort over the safety of American citizens even after courts admitted his deportation may have been an “administrative error.”

A three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, including two appointed by Democrat presidents, denied the DOJ’s emergency motion to block Garcia’s court-ordered return, calling the request "premature." Shockingly, the opinion repeatedly referred to Garcia as a “resident,” ignoring the fact that he is neither legal nor safe to return.

“He is not coming back to our country,” AG Bondi said flatly. “Period.”

What should be a straightforward matter of immigration enforcement has turned into a full-blown political circus. Democrats are once again standing on the side of criminals and gang affiliates, undermining border security, judicial credibility, and public safety all while vilifying the Trump administration for doing its job.

Senator Van Hollen's visit may have been framed as humanitarian, but in reality, it sends a chilling message Democrats will go to extraordinary lengths to protect violent, criminal illegal aliens even when doing so flies in the face of court evidence, public safety, and common sense.

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