Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he’ll travel to El Salvador to check on deported man

Sen. Chris Van Hollen said that if a deported illegal immigrant was not returned to U.S. from an El Salvador mega-prison, he would travel to El Salvador to check on the man.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador on one of the three planes that contained members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs. The administration maintains he is an MS-13 member, but his lawyers say that’s not true.

Mr. Abrego Garcia, who is from El Salvador, was living in Maryland before being deported to his home country.

In a letter, Mr. Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, wrote to Salvadoran Ambassador Milena Mayorga requesting a meeting with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. He said that he’s met with Mr. Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother and brother and that “they are extremely worried” about him.

“Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia never should 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. 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,” Mr. Van Hollen said in a statement.

The Washington Times has reached out to the National Security Council for comment.

President Trump met with Mr. Bukele at the White House on Monday, where administration officials maintained that all they will do is provide a plane to get Mr. Abrego Garcia home, but only if Mr. Bukele wants to return him to the U.S.

Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation was illegal and that the U.S. has to “facilitate” his return. The Supreme Court agreed in a decision nine days later.

Officials have said that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation was an error since the deportation judge said he should be deported but not to El Salvador where Mr. Abrego Garcia said he would be tortured.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Monday that “he was not mistakenly sent to El Salvador.”

“He was an illegal alien from El Salvador,” he said on Fox News. “In 2019 he was ordered deported. He has a final removal order from the United States.”

The administration maintains that all they have to do to facilitate his return is provide a plane if Mr. Bukele decides to send him back.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him, that’s not up to us,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi, who attended the Oval Office meeting with other top administration officials. “If they wanted to return him we would facilitate it, meaning we would provide a plane.”

Mr. Bukele said he would not be ordering the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia.

“How can I return him to the United States, like I smuggle him to the United States?” Mr. Bukele said. “Of course, I’m not going to do it.”