US Senator Chris Van Hollen met Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador on Thursday, after the US Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Garcia’s return to the United States, highlighting growing tensions between the judiciary and the executive branch.
The Democratic senator from Maryland, where Abrego Garcia had lived, posted an image on X with the 29-year-old, who was deported in what the court deemed an administrative error. The meeting came a day after Van Hollen was denied access to the prison where Garcia had been held.
"I said my main goal of this trip (to El Salvador) was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance," Van Hollen posted, without commenting on Garcia’s condition.
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
He added that he had spoken to Garcia’s wife to pass along a message from him and would share a full update upon returning to the US.
Garcia was deported under an order that the US Supreme Court later found unlawful. Justice Sonia Sotomayor noted that there had been no legal basis for his arrest, deportation, or detention.
Though the Trump administration acknowledged the error, it has not taken steps to return Garcia. Officials have cited a lack of authority to release someone from a foreign prison, raising concerns about potential constitutional defiance.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai repeated the government’s claim—without offering evidence—that Garcia is affiliated with the gang MS-13.
"Chris Van Hollen has firmly established Democrats as the party whose top priority is the welfare of an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist," Desai said in a statement. "President Trump will continue to stand on the side of law-abiding Americans."
Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan also told CNN that Garcia should remain detained. "He's a citizen of El Salvador and he's in El Salvador. He's home," Homan said.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted and is being held in a notorious prison in El Salvador — barred from contacting his family or lawyers.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 17, 2025
I’m speaking to the press now after we were denied access to the prison to check on his condition. Tune in: https://t.co/mxEzpYmkwY
In response to the deportation, US District Judge James Boasberg warned administration officials they could face contempt charges, accusing them of "willful disregard" for a March 15 order barring such removals under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Garcia's lawyers deny all allegations of criminal affiliation and say he has never been charged or convicted. They said he left El Salvador at age 16 to escape gang violence and had lived in the US under a protective order since 2019.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who met Trump at the White House earlier this week, showed no intent to return Garcia. "Now that he's been confirmed healthy, he gets the honour of staying in El Salvador's custody," Bukele posted on social media following his own meeting with Van Hollen.
The circumstances allowing Van Hollen access to Garcia remain unclear after earlier refusals by Salvadoran officials, including Vice President Felix Ulloa.
Representatives for both Garcia and Van Hollen have not responded to further questions regarding the meeting.
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