Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced he was leaving for El Salvador on Wednesday after a man accused of having ties to the MS-13 gang was mistakenly deported there.
While a district judge ruled in favor of bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States, the Department of Justice said the ruling did not dictate whether it had to effectuate his return, signaling Abrego Garcia would stay in prison. Reps. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) and Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) joined Van Hollen in a pledge to visit El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, which Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele built after entering office.
However, Van Hollen appeared alone in a video he recorded at a gate in Baltimore/Washington International Airport before boarding a plane to El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador.
“The goal of this mission is to let the Trump administration … to let the government of El Salvador know that we are going to keep fighting to bring Abrego Garcia home until he returns to his family,” Van Hollen said. “I hope to meet with representatives of the government. I hope to have the chance to actually see Kilmar and see what his condition is, but we are going to keep fighting because this is a miscarriage of justice.”
Van Hollen said the Supreme Court “ruled 9 to 0” on Abrego Garcia’s case, but the decision was “per curiam,” which does not necessarily mean it was unanimous. Per curiam decisions are made without rendering written opinions, as Justice Sonia Sotomayor offered merely a statement with Justices Elena Kagan and Kentanji Brown Jackson.
“This is about due process. This is about the rule of law,” Van Hollen continued. “This is what bullies do is they begin by picking on the most vulnerable, but if we get rid of the rule of lot to process the United States, it’s a short road from there to tyranny.”
Meanwhile, in Van Hollen’s home state, Rachel Morin had her day in court posthumously. On Monday, a jury convicted Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, an illegal immigrant, of her murder. Her mother, Patty Morin, said Van Hollen hadn’t bothered to call her since the death of her daughter last year.
“There was no action on the Democratic Party in any way from Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, [Alejandro] Mayorkas, anyone here in Maryland, none of the senators, did anything to help search for the murderer of my daughter,” Morrin said on Fox News’s Hannity on Tuesday.
The White House has condemned media reports referring to Abrego Garcia as a “Maryland man” because he illegally immigrated to the U.S. in 2011.
“Chris and his bedwetting friends have shown more concern and sympathy for an illegal MS-13 gang member than victims of horrific migrant crimes,” Steven Cheung, White House communications director, told the Washington Examiner. “He is a complete disgrace to his office and should be thoroughly shamed for his disgusting actions.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said this week that Democrats who visit Abrego Garcia are “detached from reality.”
HOUSE DEMOCRATS PUSH FOR CONGRESSIONAL TRIP TO EL SALVADOR TO VISIT TRUMP DEPORTEES
The DOJ classified Abrego Garcia as an MS-13 member and deported him to El Salvador, his home country. Democrats have pointed to a lack of paperwork as evidence that he was mistakenly deported.
Bukele said he has no plans to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., meaning he will remain in CECOT.
