Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said Thursday that he was turned away at a military checkpoint near a prison in El Salvador as he attempted to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was deported due to a administrative error.
Van Hollen said he was about 3 kilometers from the notorious supermax prison, CECOT, when he was stopped by soldiers who he said were ordered to prevent him from going toward the prison.
Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador on Wednesday, April 16 with the goal of checking on the well-being of Abrego Garcia a month after his deportation.
On Wednesday, the senator met with the vice president of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa to discuss Abrego Garcia’s alleged gang ties and the ongoing legal battle over his mistaken deportation. However, Van Hollen said he was denied a meeting or phone call with Abrego Garcia.
“When I met with the vice president of El Salvador, I asked him not to be complicit in the Trump administration’s law-breaking in the United States of America and to release Mr. Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen said during a news conference.
According to the senator, Vice President Ulloa said he would need more time to arrange a meeting in the prison and eventually suggested that the meeting or phone call requests be handled by the U.S. Embassy instead.
During a news conference Thursday, Van Hollen said he continued with his goal of trying to check on the health and well-being of Abrego Garcia.
The senator said he was accompanied by the attorney for Abrego Garcia’s wife and mother.
“I should point out that since Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted and sent to CECOT, he has not had communication with anyone on the outside,” Van Hollen said. “His wife and his lawyers have tried to make contact with him, they have not been able to.”
Van Hollen also said he met with human rights groups during his trip, who also expressed concerns about the inability to communicate with prisoners in CECOT.
Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March after he was picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while leaving his job in Baltimore, Maryland.
He was sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, on a flight along with 200 other migrants that the Trump administration claims had ties to gangs.
Abrego Garcia’s deportation occurred despite him being granted an order of protection by a U.S. immigration judge in 2019. The “withholding of removal” order should have prevented him from being sent back to his native country.
Soon after he was deported, ICE admitted that it was due to an administrative error.
The deportation of Abrego Garcia sparked a legal battle that continues to play out in federal court.
In March, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys filed a motion requesting that he be returned to the U.S.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration must return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. by April 7. However, the Trump administration raised the issue to the Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Roberts paused the deadline.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia, upholding the initial order from federal judge Paula Xinis.
The Trump administration alleges that Abrego Garcia has ties to MS-13, though his family and his attorney have repeatedly denied the claims.
“The government of El Salvador has no evidence that he is part of MS-13, so why is El Salvador continuing to hold him in CECOT?” the senator questioned Wednesday.
On Wednesday night, Attorney General Pam Bondi released additional documents that detail Abrego Garcia’s initial arrest in 2019.
The paperwork showed that Abrego Garcia was arrested in front of a Home Depot along with three other people.
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said he was soliciting work at the time, but police did not believe him when he said he was not a gang member.
According to the 2019 documents, a detective recognized another man as a member of MS-13 and noted that he had an extensive criminal history. Detectives also interviewed another man and noted several tattoos that they believed were “indicative of the Hispanic gang culture.”
Detectives further noted that Abrego Garcia was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie with graphics that they said were indicative of gang culture.
According to the documents, a past reliable source said that Abrego Garcia was an active MS-13 member.
The documents showed that Abrego Garcia does not have a criminal history.
Following the 2019 arrest, Abrego Garcia appeared in court and was later granted the order of protection and a work permit.
“They are trying to make this case all about MS-13, when in fact, the judge in the case has said they have not provided substantial or any significant evidence to back up their claim,” Van Hollen said Thursday.
“I am here, not to vouch for any particular set of facts or for claims, but I am here to vouch for the judicial system in the U.S., which guarantees individuals the right to due process,” the senator added.
