Senator Meets Wrongfully Deported Maryland Man as Court Slams Trump Administration

US Senator Chris Van Hollen has met Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained in the country’s notorious mega-prison, Cecot.

The Trump administration admitted the deportation was an error but has resisted a court order to return him.

Van Hollen posted images from the meeting, which appeared to take place in a hotel, declaring: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance.” He also shared that he had called Ábrego García’s wife, Jennifer, to deliver his message of love and promised a full update upon his return.

Despite the meeting, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele said Ábrego García would remain in custody.

Reposting photos on X, Bukele mocked speculation about the detainee’s wellbeing, stating he had “miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’” and would now “get the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”

Ábrego García, who had been living in Maryland, was deported on 15 March to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism with other Salvadoran and Venezuelan nationals.

His lawyers have denied accusations from the White House that he is affiliated with MS-13, a claim never substantiated by charges or convictions.

A federal court has ruled against the administration, warning that the government was attempting to “stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process.” The Supreme Court has since ordered the government to “facilitate” his return.

Meanwhile, Van Hollen’s attempt to secure Ábrego García’s release during a meeting with El Salvador’s vice-president was rejected.