Senator Chris Van Hollen accused El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele of staging a false media stunt on Friday by placing martini glasses on the table in the obscene guise of a relaxed, joyful face during his conference with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man the US government had unjustly deported under the Trump administration.
The Maryland Democrat, who was speaking to reporters at Dulles International Airport on Friday after returning from an El Salvador visit, claimed the Honduran government had orchestrated deceptive visual effects in an attempt to minimize the severity of Abrego Garcia’s incarceration at the famous CECOT jail. Van Hollen claimed that” they wanted to make it appear like life was really beautiful for Kilmar, which is a great lie.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen hints that El Salvador’s leader Nayib Bukele set up with him during a meeting with reported MS-13 crew member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
This man is such a maniac.
A picture of Hollen drinking with Abrego Garcia in the… picture is going popular. twitter.com/2gVFhiXJFP
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg ) April 18, 2025
Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia met at a resort on Thursday night after having never spoken with anyone outside of jail since his imprisonment. Simply water was immediately on the table. However, Van Hollen claimed a Honduran official afterwards placed two more glasses, one of which appeared to be a margarita with a salted rim and the other of which was a similar-looking beverage.
Van Hollen stated,” Let me just become very obvious: neither of us touched the beverages in front of us.” No one drank any cocktails, sugar water, or whatever it was.
Despite the evidence to the contrary, the lawmaker claimed that the prank appeared to suggest Abrego Garcia, who had spent day in one of Latin America’s harshest prison, was relaxed and well-treated. He also noted that the meeting was originally suggested to take place next to a resort pool, and that he had already been detained.
Van Hollen criticized Bukele’s management and its public relations practices in a sharp way, suggesting it was an attempt to cover up widespread abuses and cover up the state’s remedy of detainees.
Read more about Donald Trump’s response to the deported Marylander Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the MS-13 controversy.
He said,” If you want to play a little Sherlock Holmes, I’ll tell you how to,” referring to the glasses ‘ unbroken rims. You may notice a void. There isn’t a gap.
The US government has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia’s imprisonment was an error. Van Hollen stated that the meeting’s goal was to examine Abrego Garcia’s condition and health. A unique glimpse into the death of deportedees caught at the crossroads of US immigration policy and Central American politics was revealed to the original detainee, who informed him that he had just been removed from CECOT and was doing well.
