Sen. Chris Van Hollen arrives in El Salvador to push for release of Maryland man mistakenly deported
'This is about due process. This is about rule of law,' says Van Hollen
US Senator Van Hollen
HOUSTON, United States
US Sen. Chris Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday to advocate for the release of a Maryland man mistakenly deported by the Trump administration.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was expelled from the US on March 15 during a Trump administration immigration sweep to deport hundreds of alleged Salvadoran and Venezuelan gang members.
Even though the Justice Department (DOJ) admitted it made a mistake by deporting Abrego Garcia, despite a previous court order in a separate case that barred his removal from the US, the Trump administration said it had no jurisdiction to bring him back because he was now in the custody of a foreign country.
The DOJ doubled down by defying orders from the US Supreme Court to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return based on a US District Court ruling. Van Hollen, a Democrat from the state of Maryland where Abrego Garcia lived, vowed to right the wrongs of the Trump administration.
"This is about due process. This is about rule of law," Van Hollen said as he landed in El Salvador. "What bullies do is they begin by picking on the most vulnerable. But if we get rid of the rule of law and due process in the United States, it's a short road from there to tyranny."
Van Hollen is making the trip in his official capacity as a US government official, and his team has a meeting scheduled with a high-level Salvadoran government official.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, however, told President Donald Trump during a White House meeting Monday that he would not send Abrego Garcia back to the US because "the question is preposterous."
"I look forward to meeting with the team at the US Embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia," said Van Hollen. "I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home."
Democrats have slammed the Trump administration for refusing to push for Abrego Garcia's release after making the mistake, criticizing the DOJ's tactics of not allowing Abrego Garcia, or any of the alleged gang members deported, to have a court hearing to argue their innocence before being expelled.
"We are going to keep fighting to bring Abrego Garcia home until he returns to his family," said Van Hollen.
