Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) accused the Salvadoran government of being “complicit in an illegal scheme” as it holds an alleged illegal immigrant that the Trump administration deported to the country.
On Friday, Van Hollen held a press conference to reflect on his recent trip to El Salvador, where he visited with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national. The alleged illegal immigrant, accused by the Trump administration of being an MS-13 gang member, lived in the U.S. for years before he was deported to El Salvador in March. The deportation has raised an uproar from Democrats over concerns that Abrego Garcia was unlawfully removed from the country without due process.
The Maryland senator, during the press briefing, said it was time “to end the illegal abduction” of Abrego Garcia and “bring him home.” He also rebuked Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, saying his government is making “a huge mistake” by working with the Trump administration to hold Abrego Garcia and other illegal immigrants in the country’s prison system.
Van Hollen also revealed that Abrego Garcia was moved from the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo to a smaller prison elsewhere in the country.
“You know, they want to brand themselves as a country for technology,” Van Hollen said. “But now what they’re branding themselves as — as the place for these huge prisons where people who are illegally abducted are warehoused. That is not a good look,” Van Hollen said.
“I just urge the president of El Salvador, the vice president of El Salvador, to rethink whether they want to become the place that just gets paid off being complicit in this illegal scheme,” the Maryland senator continued.
Van Hollen continued to suggest that U.S. citizens should oppose El Salvador by placing economic pressure on the country, including divesting from pension funds.
“People can stop traveling there,” he said. “There may be states that decide, you know, they don’t want any of their pension funds invested in companies that invest in a place like El Salvador. So there are many things that can be done.”
Abrego Garcia was initially mistakenly targeted for deportation by the Trump administration due to what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials described as an “administrative error.” The White House moved forward with the deportation, however, defending his removal by pointing to likely MS-13 ties.
Democrats have protested Garcia’s deportation, pointing to a standing 2019 court order that protected him from deportation to El Salvador due to a gang threat he faced in the country.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Garcia’s return to the United States, which Democrats hailed as a victory. However, the White House emphasized a line in the ruling saying that a lower court’s previous order must clarify what it meant by saying the Trump administration must “effectuate” Garcia’s return.
“The intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’ in the district court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the district court’s authority,” the Supreme Court stated.
“The district court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the executive branch in the conduct of foreign affairs. For its part, the government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps,” the high court continued.
The White House has resisted orders for Abrego Garcia to be returned to the U.S., saying such action is “impossible” because he is now in Salvadoran custody.
On Friday, Van Hollen said the Trump administration’s actions struck a blow to constitutional rights.
“When you deny the constitutional rights for one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process of everyone else in America,” the Maryland senator said.
Van Hollen also blasted claims from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Bukele that Garcia was “sipping margaritas” with Van Hollen, referring to photos posted about the senator’s visit.
“Let me just be very clear: Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us,” he said. “Nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or whatever it is. But this is the lesson in the lengths that Bukele will do to deceive people about what’s going on.”
TRUMP CALLS VAN HOLLEN A ‘FOOL’ FOR MEETING WITH KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA
“They actually wanted to have the meeting by the side of the pool in this hotel,” Van Hollen continued. “This is a guy who’s been in CECOT, this is a guy who’s been detained. They wanted to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which, of course, is a big, fat lie.”
Abrego Garcia remains imprisoned in El Salvador.
