U.S. Sen. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, D-Md., has ignited a political controversy following his recent trip to El Salvador to advocate for the release of KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA, an illegal immigrant with alleged ties to the violent MS-13 gang. Garcia, 29, was deported to El Salvador and held in the notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) before being transferred to the Centro Industrial detention facility in Santa Ana days before Van Hollen’s arrival.
In a statement to reporters upon his return to the U.S., Van Hollen confirmed that Garcia had been moved from CECOT to Centro Industrial, where he was reportedly housed in an administrative building with a private room, bed, and furniture. The State Department has since verified this transfer in writing.
Van Hollen took to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize former President DONALD TRUMP, accusing him of defying court orders and denying Garcia his constitutional rights. “When you defy court orders and deny one man his Constitutional rights, you threaten them for ALL,” Van Hollen wrote. He also challenged Trump to provide evidence linking Garcia to MS-13 or terrorist activities, citing a federal judge’s ruling that found no such evidence.
Trump, however, has vehemently defended Garcia’s deportation, labeling him a dangerous individual and accusing Democrats and the media of portraying him as innocent. “Radical Lunatic Democrats and their Comrades in the Fake News Media are falsely making KILMAR ARMANDO ABREGO GARCIA out to be a very sweet and innocent person, which is a total, blatant, and dangerous LIE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Garcia’s deportation has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who have referred to him as a “wrongfully deported Maryland man.” Van Hollen’s visit to El Salvador was met with mockery from Trump, who called the senator a “fool.” Other Democratic lawmakers have reportedly planned similar visits to Garcia.
The White House has also weighed in, posting side-by-side photos on X of Trump meeting with the mother of Rachel Morin, a Maryland resident murdered by an illegal immigrant in 2023, and Van Hollen sitting with Garcia. The caption read: “We are not the same.” Morin’s mother, PATTY MORIN, expressed frustration that Van Hollen had not reached out to her since her daughter’s death.
Garcia’s alleged criminal activities have further fueled the debate. A 2022 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) report obtained by Fox News revealed that Garcia was suspected of labor and human trafficking. The report also identified him as a member of MS-13, a gang designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration. Additionally, court records from Prince George’s County, Md., show that Garcia has a history of domestic violence, with his wife, JENNIFER VASQUEZ, accusing him of being a “violent repeat wife beater.”
Despite these allegations, the Supreme Court recently upheld a lower court’s decision ordering the Trump administration to facilitate Garcia’s return to the U.S. The administration has agreed to clear any administrative obstacles but maintains that Garcia’s return ultimately depends on El Salvador’s willingness to release him.
DHS Assistant Secretary TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN defended Garcia’s deportation, stating, “He is exactly where he belongs: home in El Salvador.” She added, “The media would love for you to believe that this is some media darling, that he is just some Maryland father, but Osama bin Laden was also a father, and yet he wasn’t a good guy, and they are actually both terrorists.”
The case continues to polarize political figures and the public, with Garcia’s fate hanging in the balance.
**Sources:**
[Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com)
[Truth Social](https://truthsocial.com)