Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) danced around a problem about statements by the Trump presidency that a deported Peruvian nationwide, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose expulsion from the U. S. has devolved into a high-profile legitimate war, is a member of the MS-13 group.
Van Hollen returned from El Salvador after meeting with Abrego Garcia on Friday and went on many sites Sunday night discussing his mission. Abrego Garcia, an unlawful immigrant, was deported to El Salvador next month, despite a “withholding get ” preventing him from being deported to that particular state over concerns he may be persecuted by a group in that state.
When Van Hollen was asked on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday if he could “say with absolute certainty ” that Abrego Garcia has never been a member of MS-13, the senator skirted the question and claimed Trump was trying to “change the subject ” on the deported Salvadoran national.
BASH: “Can you say with absolute certainty that he is not, nor has he ever been a part of the MS-13 group, and did you ask him place plain? ”
VAN HOLLEN: “ What Donald Trump is trying to do here is change the subject. The subject at hand is that he and his management are … photograph. tweets. com/QlXZZANLXf
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 20, 2025
“The subject at hand is that he and his management are defying a court order to give Abrego Garcia his due process right. They are trying to pursue on social media what they should be doing in the authorities. They need to set up or shut up in the judges, ” Van Hollen said.
He then pointed to the prosecutor in the current deportation war saying she had not been presented with evidence about Abrego Garcia’s alleged MS-13 relationships. CNN’s Dana Bash responded by noting there “has n’t been a court hearing for them to put forward evidence in the first place, ” and asked Van Hollen if he had asked Abrego Garcia if he has ties to MS-13.
“ I did n’t ask him that because I know what his answer is. What he told me was he was sad and traumatized that he was being imprisoned because he has committed no crimes, ” Van Hollen said.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration had “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s returning to the U. S. and remain with his imprisonment case “as it would have been had he not been poorly sent to El Salvador. ”
The Justice Department and a federal prosecutor have sparred over the definition of what it means to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s gain. As the debate of facilitating Abrego Garcia’s return remain, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has frequently said he will not relieve Abrego Garcia from the land.
TRUMP CALLS VAN HOLLEN A ‘FOOL’ FOR MEETING WITH KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA
While on Fox News’s Fox News Sunday, Van Hollen was asked who paid for the journey, to which he responded it was an “officially cleared congressional vacation ” and confirmed it was funded with taxpayer dollars.
Various members of Congress have looked to pursue Van Hollen’s result in going to El Salvador to appeal on the Peruvian citizens ’ representative. Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-OR ) said on Friday she plans to visit El Salvador to desire the transfer of Abrego Garcia.
