Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a U.S. resident wrongly deported in a case highlighting tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary. The senator posted a photo on X from his meeting with Garcia, held a day after being denied access to the prison where Garcia is detained.
Van Hollen said his main goal was to meet Garcia and shared a message of love from him to his wife. The Supreme Court had ordered Garcia’s return after acknowledging his deportation was an administrative error.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the government’s lack of legal basis for Garcia’s arrest and deportation. His lawyers assert he has no criminal charges and reject claims of MS-13 affiliation.
Despite the court’s directive, the Trump administration insists Garcia remains in El Salvador, citing no authority to intervene in foreign custody. White House officials doubled down on unproven gang affiliations, accusing Democrats of prioritizing “an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist.”
Hundreds, including Garcia, have been deported under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act without trials, prompting a judge to warn of contempt charges against administration officials. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele refused to release Garcia, calling the situation “preposterous” and labeling him a “terrorist” without evidence.
Van Hollen’s meeting follows rejection by Salvadoran officials and intensifies scrutiny over the U.S. government’s compliance with Supreme Court rulings.
Source: Swifteradio.com
