Grounds for deportation come under fresh scrutiny as a federal court decides whether Maryland resident Kilmer Armado Abrego-Garcia will be returning to the United States after being mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador.
This past Wednesday, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited El Salvador to advocate for the constituent but was denied a visitation and phone call from the country’s vice president, Félix Ulloa.
Abrego-Garcia was deported on March 15 in one of three planes sent by the U.S. to the Latin American country. The removal followed President Donald Trump’s enactment of the Alien Enemies Act, with his administration claiming those aboard, including Abrego-Garcia, were members of the Tren de Aragua or MS-13 criminal gangs.
“This is an unsustainable and unjust moment,” said Hollen, who emphasized he would not be the last elected official to pay a visit. “I may be the first United States senator to visit El Salvador on this issue, but there will be more, and there will more members of Congress coming.”
Holding Abrego-Garcia back from returning to the U.S. is the administration’s accusation of his involvement with the MS-13 gang. Due to these suspicions, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele will not agree to his release.
“President Bukele said he was not sending him back,” said Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General. “If he wanted to send him back, we would give him a plane ride back.”
With an ongoing fight from multiple elected officials, negotiations are expected to continue between Trump, Bukele and the courts on the potential return home of Abrego-Garcia.
