US Senator Meets Wrongly Deported Maryland Man

US Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, and said he was "traumatised" and fearful while in a notorious prison. Ábrego García was moved to a new prison over a week ago, but still has no access to news or communication with the outside world. The Trump administration has accused him of being a member of the MS-13 gang, despite never being convicted of a crime, and has refused to allow him to return to the US, defying a Supreme Court order to "facilitate" his return. Van Hollen criticized the administration, saying they want to "flat out lie about what this case is about" and should present their claims in court rather than on social media.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, at a restaurant in the country. Abrego Garcia was deported in March despite a court order barring his deportation due to potential persecution by gangs. The Trump administration admitted the deportation was an "administrative error" and a court ordered his return, but he remains in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia's wife said she is still fighting for his return, while the administration has alleged he is linked to the MS-13 gang, which his lawyers deny. Van Hollen's meeting with Abrego Garcia came after he was turned away at a military checkpoint near the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador where Abrego Garcia was being held.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, and reported that Abrego Garcia was "traumatized" while being held in a Salvadoran supermax prison known as CECOT. Abrego Garcia was initially denied a phone call after being detained by ICE and was handcuffed and shackled on a plane to El Salvador without knowing his destination. Van Hollen faced challenges in meeting with Abrego Garcia, including being turned away at a military checkpoint, but eventually met with him at a different location. Abrego Garcia has been moved to a different prison with better conditions but still has no access to news or communication with the outside world. The Trump administration has claimed that Abrego Garcia is a violent person and a member of the MS-13 gang, despite his attorney and family denying the allegations and a lack of substantial evidence.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, moved to the US illegally at 16 after his family received gang threats. He was detained eight years later and had his asylum claim denied, but an immigration judge ruled he couldn't be deported due to a well-founded fear of persecution. The article criticizes the Trump government for being willing to "destroy a man" in pursuit of its immigration policy, highlighting the complexities and frustrations of the US legal system.

The Trump administration is releasing new information to portray Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador, as a violent MS-13 gang member, despite his family and lawyers denying the allegations. The administration released documents related to his 2019 arrest and a 2021 protective order filed by his wife, which she later dropped. Abrego Garcia was detained by immigration authorities after his arrest but was never charged with a crime related to the allegations. The move comes amid growing public outcry against his deportation and criticisms about the lack of due process, with Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen visiting El Salvador to lobby for Abrego Garcia's release.

Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man wrongly deported to El Salvador, and claims photos of them together with margaritas were staged by El Salvadorian officials. Van Hollen said they had glasses of water on the table, and an official later added glasses that resembled margaritas. Garcia was initially detained in a notorious high-security prison but has since been moved to a detention centre with better conditions. Van Hollen is advocating for Garcia's return to the US, citing concerns over his constitutional rights and due process. The case has become a flashpoint in the US, with Democrats arguing it's a consequence of Trump's policies, while Republicans argue it's part of a larger effort to reduce crime.

The US Supreme Court has temporarily halted the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under an 18th-century wartime law. The decision comes after Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongly deported from the US to El Salvador. Garcia was detained in a notorious mega-prison, where he was "traumatised", but has since been moved to a detention centre with better conditions. Van Hollen said the Trump administration is "asserting a right to stash away residents of this country" in foreign prisons "without the semblance of due process". The case has sparked a debate over the rule of law and due process, with Republicans and Democrats clashing over Garcia's deportation, which they claim is part of a larger effort to reduce crime or a cruel consequence of Trump's disregard for the courts.

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on a Chicago Bulls cap that was cited as evidence of a deported Maryland man's alleged gang membership. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was stopped by police in 2019 for loitering and interrogated about being part of MS-13, with officers noting that his Bulls cap represented "membership in good standing" with the gang. Despite denying gang affiliation, Abrego Garcia was eventually deported, although an immigration judge later granted him protection from deportation due to persecution he faced in El Salvador. Simon questions the assumption that wearing a Bulls cap indicates gang membership, given the team's widespread popularity and cultural significance, suggesting that "sometimes, a hat is just a hat."

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has transformed the country from one of the deadliest in the hemisphere to one of the safest through aggressive action against gangs, including constructing a mega-prison called the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT). Despite criticism from Democrats and the media, CECOT has been a key tool in reducing crime and offers better conditions for prisoners than most other facilities in Latin America, with a population under 50% capacity and effective guard control. Under Bukele's leadership, El Salvador has become a crucial partner in helping the US restore stability over migration and has shifted from being a nexus for criminal gangs to a partner in regional security efforts. The Trump administration's meeting with Bukele was an opportunity to recognize El Salvador's success and strengthen regional cooperation, but was instead marred by Democratic criticism of Trump's deportation policies.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen said that Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, was moved to a different facility after being held in a cell with 25 other migrants. Van Hollen met with Abrego García during a trip to El Salvador and said it was the first time Abrego García had spoken to anyone from the outside world since his deportation. Abrego García's wife and children are U.S. citizens and he is a longtime Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to a megaprison in El Salvador.