Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland says he finally met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia during his trip to El Salvador on Thursday.

Why It Matters

Abrego Garcia’s deportation by the Trump administration has triggered an uproar between Republicans and Democrats this week as the White House was previously ordered by the Supreme Court to facilitate his return after an “administrative error.”

Abrego Garcia came to the United States illegally and a judge ultimately ruled he could not be deported back to his native country due to a potential threat from a gang. The Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, an El Salvadoran gang.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ultimately deported Abrego Garcia from Maryland to El Salvador along with hundreds of others to a mega-prison. Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the United States.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has prioritized immigration issues following his decisive election victory and after campaigning on mass deportations while on the trail.

What To Know

Van Hollen announced his trip to the Central American country on Tuesday, saying in part, “I’m flying to El Salvador tomorrow morning to check on his condition and discuss his return.”

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, Van Hollen wrote: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”

When reached for comment via email, Van Hollen’s office pointed Newsweek to the senator’s X post, adding that there will be a “full update” on Friday.

In an order on Thursday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s plea for an emergency stay in Abrego Garcia’s case requesting that the White House should no longer be required to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.

Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, an appointee of GOP icon former President Ronald Reagan, ripped the administration in the order, saying in part, “It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done.”

“This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that
Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,” Wilkinson wrote.

What People Are Saying

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, on X on Thursday: “Wow. Diplomatic pressure absolutely worked. Van Hollen got in, met with Mr. Abrego, and becomes the first person to have ANY meeting with any of the people sent to El Salvador on March 15.”

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on X on Thursday reacting to Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia’s meeting: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹”

In an additional post, Bukele said, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody 🇺🇸🤝🏼🇸🇻”

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Thursday when asked if he knows if there have been any steps taken to return Abrego Garcia: “Look, I think he’s a citizen of El Salvador, he’s in El Salvador, he’s home. He’s an illegal alien with a final order of removal. He’s an MS-13 member, which is now classified as a terrorist, so we removed an illegal alien, MS-13 member, who has a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge, to his homeland.”

What Happens Next

It is unclear if or when the Trump administration will agree on terms to return Abrego Garcia to his family in the United States.