Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has met with Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, the man mistakenly deported from Maryland who was being held in a notorious El Salvador prison.
Before their meeting, Van Hollen had tried multiple times to see Abrego-Garcia but said he was denied.
“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar,” the senator said in a post to X on Thursday night, complete with a photo of them talking. “Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
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The pair appeared to be at a restaurant, with Abrego-Garcia donning a Kansas City Chiefs cap and a collared shirt.
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. pic.twitter.com/U9y2gZpxCb
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 18, 2025
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele mocked the meeting in a post on X.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” he wrote, alluding to Democrats’ concerns about Abrego-Garcia’s safety.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!
pic.twitter.com/r6VWc6Fjtn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025
“Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody,” Bukele added a short while later, pinning the post on his X profile. He also reposted a message replying to his original post, with the message being: “my guess is this is a troll so a sitting senator is photographed with a member of MS-13 and he will be returned back to CECOT,” the Salvadoran prison.
The Department of Homeland Security has argued Abrego-Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, though the man’s lawyers have disputed this. It’s unclear whether Abrego-Garcia will be returned to the U.S., but Bukele’s posts suggest he will not.
Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday in hopes he could meet with Abrego-Garcia, who was deported by the Trump administration along with many MS-13 members. The Maryland senator tried to gain entry into the prison where Abrego-Garcia was being held earlier on Wednesday and Thursday but said he was blocked.
“They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed,” Van Hollen said.