Democrats are going gaga for a sitting U.S. senator who traveled to El Salvador to meet with an illegal alien who was kicked out of the United States.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was living in the U.S. illegally when he was deported last month. He was sent to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” mega-prison, known as CECOT.
“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said in a Thursday post to X. “I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
Federal officials admitted his deportation was an “administrative error.” However, some top officials contend he was correctly removed, saying he was a member of MS-13, a notorious gang.
“This is what leadership looks like. I’m proud of my partner and our senior Senator,” U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland, said in a post to X. “We won’t stop until we bring Kilmar home.”
This is what leadership looks like. I’m proud of my partner and our senior Senator, @ChrisVanHollen.
We won’t stop until we bring Kilmar home. https://t.co/ZyaREERtsa
— Senator Angela Alsobrooks (@Sen_Alsobrooks) April 18, 2025
Fox News reported that a federal district judge and the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the administration of President Donald Trump to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States for deportation proceedings.
The senator’s trip was met with mixed reactions, generally trending along party lines. Republicans repudiated the move as a political stunt, while Democrats heralded Van Hollen as a freedom fighter.
“Thank you Chris for standing up and doing the right thing and fighting for answers,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a post to X. Other lawmakers, such as U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, could soon visit Abrego Garcia.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, also thanked Van Hollen for his trip.
“Mr. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully imprisoned,” the uber-liberal Sanders said in a post to X. “As the Supreme Court indicated, there was no basis for his warrantless arrest. The Trump admin must obey the law. He must be returned home.”
Let me thank my Senate colleague @ChrisVanHollen for his trip to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Mr. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully imprisoned. As the Supreme Court indicated, there was no basis for his warrantless arrest.
The Trump admin must obey the law. He must be returned home.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 18, 2025
Republicans have countered that Democrats have eschewed their responsibilities to their primary constituents.
“Democrats would rather spend thousands of dollars to go visit and advocate for illegal aliens in other countries than to keep their own constituents safe,” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Georgia, said in a post to X. “These elected so-called ‘representatives’ are traitors to the American people.”
Republicans have pointed to the case of Rachel Morin, who was raped and killed in 2023 by an undocumented migrant from El Salvador. Morin’s mother appeared at a White House media briefing this week to question Van Hollen’s motives behind his trip to El Salvador.
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, seemed unamused by the whole affair.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador,” Bukele said in a post to X alongside photos of Abrego Garcia meeting with the senator.
In a subsequent post, Bukele wrote, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”
The New York Post reported that Abrego Garcia “told ICE officers he didn’t fear returning to Central America before being loaded onto a one-way flight to his home country.” That would contradict earlier statements Abrego Garcia made to authorities that he feared for his life if he returned home.
According to a March 2019 Prince George’s County Police Department report, officers observed Abrego Garcia “was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and a hoodie with rolls of money covering the eyes, ears and mouth of the presidents on the separate denominations. Officers know such clothing to be indicative of the Hispanic gang culture.”
According to the report, it stands for “see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil.” Wearing the Chicago Bulls hat purportedly represents that someone is a “member in good standing” with MS-13.
Officers contacted a “past proven and reliable source,” who said that Abrego Garcia is an active member of MS-13 with the “Westerns” clique. The confidential source told authorities that Abrego Garcia held the rank of “Chequeo” and that his moniker was “Chele.”
“We will not let up the pressure on the self-proclaimed dictator of El Salvador or the aspiring dictator here,” U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, said in a post to X. We will continue the fight to bring Abrego Garcia home.”
Grateful to my friend and MD colleague @ChrisVanHollen for traveling to El Salvador to try to check on Abrego Garcia’s condition. We will not let up the pressure on the self-proclaimed dictator of El Salvador or the aspiring dictator here. We will continue the fight to bring…
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) April 17, 2025
