By Nelson Renteria, Diego Ore, and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON/SAN SALVADOR (WARINFO) – On Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen stated that officials in El Salvador prevented him from meeting with Kilmer Abréguez García, the Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported and is currently detained at a well-known prison in the nation.
On Wednesday, Van Hollen reached El Salvador to hold discussions with high-ranking officials and push for the release of Abrego Garcia. However, El Salvador’s Vice President Felix Ulloa informed him that he couldn’t approve either a meeting or a phone call with Abrego Garcia.
Senator Van Hollen, a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that Ulloo informed him that El Salvador wasn’t releasing Abrego Garcia since the United States was covering costs associated with his continued imprisonment.
“Why should the U.S. government be paying the government of El Salvador to detain an individual who was unlawfully taken from our country and hasn’t broken any laws?” asked Senator Van Hollen from Maryland, where Mr. Abrego Garcia resided.
The government of El Salvador did not respond to a request for comment on Van Hollen’s visit.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated that the Democratic senator might be utilizing public funds to “call for the liberation of an illegally deported MS-13 terrorist who is also an unauthorized immigrant,” raising concerns about misuse of taxpayers’ money.
“It’s both shocking and disheartening that Senator Van Hollen and the Democrats celebrating his visit to El Salvador today lack even a fragment of common sense or compassion for their own constituents and our fellow citizens,” she stated to journalists.
The U.S. Supreme Court has instructed the Trump administration to assist with bringing back Abrego Garcia, following Washington’s admission that his deportation was a result of an administrative mistake.
During a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday, El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, stated that he did not intend to repatriate Abrego Garcia. Separately, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has mentioned that they lack the jurisdiction to reintroduce this individual into the country.
Abrego Garcia, who is 29 years old, departed from El Salvador when he was 16 due to gang-related violence, according to his legal representatives. In 2019, he received a protective order allowing him to remain in the U.S., and he has not faced charges or conviction for any criminal activity.
His attorneys have similarly refuted the accusation made by the Justice Department that he is part of the criminal gang MS-13.
In addition to deporting individuals alongside Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has expelled numerous people, primarily from Venezuela, who they claim are gang affiliates, to El Salvador using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. This was done without providing proof or conducting trials.
Neither administration has disclosed the identities of the imprisoned individuals, and according to attorneys, these men haven’t been able to consult with legal representatives or communicate with anyone beyond the facility since being brought to the jail.
(Reported by Nelson Renteria from San Salvador, Diego Ore from Mexico City, and Steve Holland from Washington; Additional Reporting by Ryan Jones and Idrees Ali from Washington; Written by Nandita Bose and Sarah Kinosian; Edited by Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington)
