WASHINGTON — Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced plans to travel to El Salvador this week to show solidarity with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongfully deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison, despite a unanimous Supreme Court ruling ordering his return. The senator’s decision follows El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s refusal to meet with him during Bukele’s recent Washington, D.C. visit, intensifying a diplomatic standoff over the case.
Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran immigrant, had lived legally in Maryland since 2011 under a 2019 court order granting “withholding of removal” due to death threats from the Barrio 18 gang over his family’s pupusa business. On March 15, 2025, ICE deported him to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) after an arrest the Trump administration later admitted was an “administrative error.” The deportation violated a 2019 ruling, and on April 10, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the administration must facilitate his return.
Despite this, Bukele, during an April 14 Oval Office meeting with President Trump, labeled Abrego Garcia a “terrorist” and refused to release him, claiming he lacked authority—a stance Van Hollen called “untrue” on CNN. The Trump administration echoed Bukele, arguing they can only provide transport if El Salvador complies. Van Hollen, who requested a meeting with Bukele via El Salvador’s ambassador, received no response. “If Abrego Garcia is not quickly returned, I intend to go to El Salvador to show solidarity with his family,” Van Hollen told CNN’s Kate Bolduan, adding he hopes to visit Cecot, known for its harsh conditions, to check on Abrego Garcia.
The case has sparked outrage in Maryland, where Abrego Garcia lived with his U.S. citizen wife and three children. Protests have targeted ICE and the administration, accusing them of violating due process. Van Hollen warned that the executive’s defiance of court orders threatens constitutional rights for all Americans. Some Democrats, like Reps. Maxwell Frost and Ritchie Torres, support Van Hollen’s trip, with Torres pushing the RESCUE Act to suspend aid to non-compliant nations like El Salvador.
On X, reactions are divided—some mock Van Hollen’s trip as support for an alleged MS-13 member, despite no evidence of gang ties, while others see it as a stand against executive overreach. As Van Hollen prepares to confront Bukele on his own turf, the case tests the limits of U.S. judicial authority and diplomatic leverage, with far-reaching implications for due process.
