Sen. Chris Van Hollen Meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) confirmed that he met Thursday night with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to El Salvador.
“I mentioned that my main goal for this trip was to meet Kilmar,” Van Hollen wrote in a post on X, sharing a photo of the two sitting at a table. “Tonight I had that chance.”
“To convey his message of love, I have contacted his wife, Jennifer. I am eager to provide a full update upon my return.”
Salvadoran Government Responds
That same evening, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele posted on X that Abrego Garcia would remain in state custody.
“He has the distinction of being in El Salvador’s care now that his health has been established,” Bukele stated.
The post included several photos of Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia sitting beside a third person and shaking hands. One author online mockingly captioned the images:
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously raised from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture,’ now enjoying margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the beautiful paradise of El Salvador!”
The comment appeared to target Democrats who had condemned Abrego Garcia’s incarceration at the maximum-security CECOT prison.
Silence on Details, Awaiting Full Statement
CNN reached out to the offices of both Van Hollen and Bukele for more information. When approached by CNN en Español outside a hotel in San Salvador, Van Hollen declined to share further details, saying a full statement would be issued on Friday.
Abrego Garcia’s Detention and Legal Controversy
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, became a key figure in the debate over the Trump administration’s harsh deportation policies after he was mistakenly deported in March. His wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, celebrated Thursday’s meeting:
“My prayers and those of my children have been heard. Knowing that my spouse is still alive gives me hope that the struggle for justice being waged by my community and family is being taken seriously,” she said in a statement. “The community is standing strong, and God is listening.”
Blocked from Visiting CECOT
Earlier that day, Van Hollen attempted to visit the CECOT prison with Chris Newman, attorney for Abrego Garcia’s mother and wife. He told reporters that they were stopped at a military checkpoint about three kilometers from the facility.
“Denying Kilmar access to his attorneys is a breach of international law,” Van Hollen said, referencing El Salvador’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“A detained or imprisoned individual must have the right to speak and confer with legal counsel,” he added.
He also noted that Vice President of El Salvador had denied him access to CECOT during an earlier in-person meeting.
A source close to President Bukele cited the country’s ongoing state of exception—which suspends several constitutional rights—as the reason why Abrego Garcia hasn’t been formally prosecuted or brought to court.
Deportation: Clerical Error and Legal Dispute
Court documents from the Trump administration acknowledged that Abrego Garcia was deported due to a clerical error, despite a 2019 court ruling that prohibited his removal to El Salvador.
Although U.S. officials have accused him of being affiliated with the MS-13 gang—a group classified as a foreign terrorist organization—his attorneys contest the claim, and at least one federal judge has raised concerns over the allegation.
Van Hollen reiterated on Thursday that Abrego Garcia’s due process rights had been violated:
“I am here to stand up for the American court system, which grants individuals the right to due process. I am not here to validate any particular set of facts or claims,” he said.
Diplomatic Engagement
While a Republican congressional delegation was recently allowed to tour CECOT, Van Hollen stated that Democratic visits are currently in the works—but that none had planned to meet with Abrego Garcia.
During his trip, Van Hollen also met with U.S. Embassy officials, as well as members of the FBI, DEA, and DHS, to discuss ongoing U.S.-El Salvador cooperation against transnational criminal organizations like MS-13.