Maryland senator meets with man mistakenly deported to Salvadoran prison
Maryland senator meets with man mistakenly deported in El Salvador
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in an El Salvador prison on Thursday.
WASHINGTON - Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Thursday met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is being held in an El Salvador prison for over a month.
Van Hollen is in the country advocating for the release of Abrego Garcia. He said he has been barred from approaching the CECOT prison – essentially a terrorist confinement center – in San Salvador where Garcia is being held.
"I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return."
The backstory:
Abrego Garcia was deported last month following 2019 accusations by Maryland police that he was an MS-13 gang member. Garcia denied the claim and was never charged with a crime, according to his attorneys.
A federal judge ruled Garcia should be allowed back, a decision unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court last week.
Trump administration officials on Monday dismissed efforts to bring Garcia back, saying the decision rested with El Salvador.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele also said Monday he lacked the authority to authorize Garcia’s return, calling the idea "preposterous" and likening it to an attempt to "smuggle a terrorist into the country."
Latest update:
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a new ruling on Thursday, telling the Trump administration it must return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. The administration had tried to upend a lower court ruling to keep the Maryland man out of the country.
The new court filings came Thursday in the case of Abrego Garcia. His lawyers are demanding answers from the Trump administration in the face of the judge’s order to return him to the U.S.