In a high-stakes mission that has gripped the nation, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) touched down in El Salvador this week, determined to secure the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father of three whose wrongful deportation has sparked a firestorm of controversy.
The 29-year-old Salvadoran, a legal U.S. resident, was sent to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) last month in what the Trump administration admitted was an “administrative error.” Now, Van Hollen’s quest to bring Garcia home is hitting roadblocks, raising questions about justice, human rights, and international diplomacy.
Senator’s Daring Quest to Free Wrongfully Deported Dad
Garcia’s saga began on March 12, 2025, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him in a Prince George’s County parking lot after his sheetmetal apprenticeship in Baltimore.
Three days later, he was deported to El Salvador alongside over 200 others, accused of ties to the MS-13 gang. The Trump administration has doubled down on these claims, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt labeling Garcia an “MS-13 terrorist.” Yet, Garcia’s attorneys and family vehemently deny the allegations, pointing out he has no criminal record in the U.S. or El Salvador.
A federal judge ruled that the “evidence” against him—a Chicago Bulls hat, hoodie, and an uncorroborated tip from a confidential informant—was flimsy at best.
The U.S. Supreme Court delivered a unanimous ruling last week, ordering the Trump administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return, citing a 2019 immigration court order that protected him from deportation due to gang-related death threats he faced in El Salvador.
But the administration’s response has been sluggish, prompting Van Hollen to take matters into his own hands. “This is about bringing home a man they admit should’ve never been abducted,” the senator declared on X, vowing not to rest until Garcia is reunited with his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their three children.
Van Hollen’s trip to San Salvador was nothing short of dramatic. On Wednesday, he met with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa, pressing for answers about Garcia’s detention. But his requests to visit Garcia at CECOT or even speak with him by phone were flatly denied, with Ulloa citing procedural hurdles.
In a bombshell claim, Van Hollen alleged that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador to keep Garcia locked up, though he offered no evidence to substantiate this. El Salvador’s government, led by President Nayib Bukele, has shown no intention of releasing Garcia, with Bukele himself stating during a White House visit that Garcia will neither return to the U.S. nor be freed within El Salvador.
The case has ignited a fierce political debate. The Trump administration, backed by figures like Attorney General Pam Bondi, insists Garcia is a dangerous gang member, with new documents alleging he abused his wife—a claim his family disputes. Meanwhile, Democrats, including Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks, have rallied behind Garcia, calling his deportation “damning” and a violation of due process.
The Department of Homeland Security went so far as to accuse Van Hollen of prioritizing a “human trafficker” over American safety, a charge the senator dismissed as “lies.”
Adding emotional weight to the controversy, Patty Morin, the mother of a Maryland woman murdered by an MS-13 member in 2023, appeared at the White House to criticize Van Hollen’s efforts. “Why is he fighting for this man and not my daughter’s memory?” she asked, highlighting the raw tensions surrounding immigration policy.
On the ground in El Salvador, Van Hollen remains undeterred. “I’m asking President Bukele to do the right thing and let this innocent man walk out,” he told reporters, framing Garcia’s detention as an “illegal abduction.” He’s not alone in his fight—Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) has expressed interest in joining the cause, signaling that more lawmakers may head to El Salvador if Garcia isn’t freed.
As the legal battle intensifies, a Maryland federal judge has ordered a two-week inquiry into the Trump administration’s inaction, with the Justice Department now appealing the court’s mandate to bring Garcia back. For Garcia’s family, the wait is agonizing. “Stop playing political games with my husband’s life,” pleaded Vasquez Sura at a recent protest.
Will Senator Van Hollen’s bold mission succeed, or will Garcia remain trapped in a geopolitical tug-of-war? The world is watching as this Maryland dad’s fate hangs in the balance, a stark reminder of the human cost of immigration policy gone awry.
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