American senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke to the media during a visit to Al Salvador to advocate for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia on 16 April 2025, L Salvador, Al Salvador, Al Salvador, April 16, 2025.
Jose Cabzas | Roots
Sen Chris Van Holen confirmed on Thursday night that he met Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a person who said that it wrongly deported Al Salvador in March.
“I said my main goal of this journey was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that opportunity. I called my wife, Jennifer to pass with the message of my love. I am eager to provide a full update on my return,” Wan Holen wrote in a post on X.
The images of the meeting of van Holen with Abrego Garcia were first posted online by Naib Bucle, president of Salvadoran, who has called to return Abriga Garcia to America
Van Hollen visited Al Salvador on Wednesday, so that despite the Supreme Court’s decision that the Trump administration could be ordered to be given the facility of “his return”, he was not taken back to the US for the release of Ebrego Garcia.
The Maryland Senator, who represents the state where Abrego Garcia lived before being sent to Al Salvador, has asked the resistance of the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to America, which tries to “cover” his wrong exile.
Van Holen has met with human rights groups, local embassy employees and top Salvadorine officials this week, including Vice President Felix Uloa.
Prior to his meeting with Abrego Garcia, van Holen said on Thursday that he was denied entry into Jail in Al Salvador, where Abrego Garcia is being detained: a terrorism imprisonment center was referred to as a secot.
Van Holen said he tried to enter the convenience with Chris Pneumon, who was a lawyer representing Abrego Garcia’s wife and mother, “to check Kilmer for health and good”, but was immediately refused to enter.
“We were stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint about 3 kilometers from Sekot Jail,” Van Holen told reporters. “We were told by the soldiers that they were ordered not to allow us to move forward from that point.”
During a meeting on Wednesday with the Vice President of Al Salvador, Van Holen said his requests to talk with Abrego Garcia, individually or by phone, were denied his requests to talk with Abrego Garcia.
The Vice President also denied a request to Van Hollen that day for the convenience of a phone call between Abrego Garcia and his wife, which says that he has not spoken to them because he was transferred to Central American facility.
Several Maryland officials on Thursday wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Christie Nom, “Kilmar Abrego Garcia is alive, healthy and safe.”
Officials wrote, “It has been more than a month now because Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally deported illegally in a violation of the court order by federal authorities, and during that time, his family has not received any meaningful confirmation of his health,” the authorities have written.
Abrego Garcia moved to the US in 2011 and was protected by an order by the 2019 court that he could not be sent back to Al Salvador.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
