WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced Tuesday evening that he will depart for El Salvador tomorrow morning in a dramatic move to secure the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — a Maryland father who was wrongfully deported and is currently held in a Salvadoran prison.
“Following his abduction and unlawful deportation, U.S. federal courts have ordered the safe return of my constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States,” Van Hollen said. “It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release, which is why tomorrow I am traveling to El Salvador. My hope is to visit Kilmar and check on his wellbeing and to hold constructive conversations with government officials around his release. We must urgently continue working to return Kilmar safely home to Maryland.”
The senator’s travel comes after his earlier request to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele during the president’s U.S. visit this week. Frustrated by what he calls the Trump administration’s failure to comply with court mandates, Van Hollen had previously announced his intention to travel to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia was not returned by midweek — a condition now met.
“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,” said Van Hollen. “Since the Trump Administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action.”
In a letter addressed to Salvadoran Ambassador Milena Mayorga, Van Hollen urgently requested a meeting with President Bukele, underscoring the significance of the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in favor of Abrego Garcia. That ruling found his deportation unlawful and ordered his return to the United States.
Despite this, the Trump administration admitted in a court filing over the weekend that Abrego Garcia is currently being held at El Salvador’s controversial Terrorism Confinement Center — but failed to provide a clear plan for complying with the court’s directive.
Michael G. Kozak, a senior official at the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, confirmed the detention in the filing but did not address steps toward Abrego Garcia’s repatriation.
Van Hollen, who has met with Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother, and brother in Maryland, stressed the family’s growing concern over his health and safety, calling his continued imprisonment unjust and dangerous.
“As you can imagine, they are extremely worried about his health, safety, and continued illegal confinement, as am I,” the senator wrote in his letter.
So far, there has been no official response from President Bukele’s office regarding the senator’s request for a meeting. However, Van Hollen’s visit signals intensifying pressure on both the Salvadoran government and U.S. federal agencies to resolve the matter swiftly.
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