Maryland senator requests meeting with Salvadoran president to discuss Kilmar Abrego Garcia, man mistakenly deported from U.S.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen requested a meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele during his visit to the United States to discuss the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported.
In a letter, Van Hollen says he "urgently" wants to meet with Bukele this week. If that can't happen, Van Hollen says he's prepared to go to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia is not returned to the United States.
"I understand that the attorney general said that we would provide a plane to bring him home, so all the president of El Salvador has to do now is hand over and release an innocent man and let him come home to his family," Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen's letter came ahead of Bukele's scheduled visit to the White House on Monday.
"Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia should never have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the Administration must bring him home, now. However, since the Trump administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action," Van Hollen said. "That's why I've requested to meet with President Bukele during his trip to the United States, and – if Kilmar is not home by midweek – I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release."
In the letter, Van Hollen said he has met with Abrego Garcia's wife, mother, and brother, who said they were "extremely worried" about his health and safety.
"My objective would be to make it clear that people in the United States, people in Maryland, his family, are not forgetting him, locked away illegally in one of the most notorious prisons in El Salvador," Van Hollen said. "So it would be to continue to make sure that we focus on his health and wellbeing and his release back to his family until that happens."
U.S. leaders in El Salvador reported Saturday that Abrego Garcia is alive and secure. He is being held at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where the U.S. has already sent more than 200 Venezuelan men accused of being in gangs.
During a press conference, Van Hollen said Abrego Garcia should not spend one more day in the El Salvador prison.
"It is absolutely unjust and illegal to have this Marylander detained one more day in a notorious prison in El Salvador," Van Hollen said."
Salvadoran president says he won't return Abrego Garcia
During a visit to the Oval Office on Monday, Bukele said he won't return Abrego Garcia to the United States after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters, "It's up to El Salvador." Abrego Garcia has been in an El Salvador prison since March, when he was placed into custody after leaving his job in Baltimore.
"How can I return him to the United States?" Bukele said. "I smuggle him into the United States or what do I do? Of course, I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous."
The Trump administration acknowledged that his deportation was an "administrative error." Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court said the Trump administration must facilitate his return to the U.S.
According to CBS News, Bukele described Abrego Garcia as a "terrorist," and added, "I don't have the power to the United States."
The White House says Abrego Garcia belongs to the gang MS-13. However, Abrego Garcia's attorneys insist he has no affiliation with the gang.
"All of us on the Appropriations Committee also support whatever foreign assistance budget goes forward, so I believe that the president of El Salvador will reconsider once he understands the full story," Van Hollen said.
Abrego Garcia's deportation
Abrego Garcia was deported to a Salvadoran prison on March 15, despite having a "withholding of removal" protection order that he received in 2019. After that order, he was released from custody and returned to his home in Prince George's County.
On April 1, Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Abrego Garcia's deportation was illegal and ordered the government to "facilitate" his return by April 7.
But the Trump administration appealed the order to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court, which upheld Xinis's order. The Department of Justice then sought a Supreme Court Stay, which was granted by Chief Justice John Roberts, pausing the return deadline.
On April 10, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision, upholding Judge Xinis's order requiring the Trump administration to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States.
According to court documents, ICE admitted that Abrego Garcia's deportation was due to an "administrative error," but initially did not take action to return him to the U.S. Abrego Garcia has no criminal record and has never been charged with a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador.
However, ICE officials argue that Abrego Garcia was a danger to the community and an active gang member in MS-13.
According to Abrego Garcia's attorneys, the only evidence of his alleged gang ties stems from a confidential witness and the fact that he was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie at the time of his arrest.
Protesters share frustrations
On Saturday, Maryland protesters gathered at the Tesla dealership in Owings Mills. The protesters said the Trump administration is violating Garcia's human and constitutional rights.
The protest organizers said they will protest every Saturday going forward.
