Abrego Garcia detention shows Trump's "gross violations" of Constitution: Van Hollen
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Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks during a press conference at a city viewpoint in Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador, on April 16. Photo: Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said his talks with El Salvador's vice president underscored the Trump administration has "not lifted a finger to comply" with a Supreme Court order to facilitate Kilmar Ábrego García's return to the U.S.
The big picture: Van Hollen, who has become the congressional face of the push to release the erroneously deported Maryland man, rebuked the administration's "gross violations of the Constitution and due process rights" in a personal appeal to President Trump.
Driving the news: Van Hollen said in a Tuesday letter to Trump that Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa told the senator repeatedly that"the ball is in your court" in Ábrego García's case.
- Ulloa emphasized it is "an issue that has to be solved" in the U.S.
- Van Hollen said the conversation "revealed that the Government of El Salvador is holding him solely at the request of your Administration and, specifically, because you are paying them to imprison him."
- He later added, "This also reveals that your Administration could easily facilitate his release by letting El Salvador know that — given his wrongful detention — they are not contractually bound to continue imprisoning Mr. Abrego Garcia."
- The Trump administration told Axios in a statement that Democrats had "dug themselves into the hole" by advocating for Abrego Garcia's return.
Friction point: The administration argued that facilitating Ábrego García's return simply means assisting if if El Salvador asks to send him back, Axios' Sam Baker reported.
- Van Hollen called that argument "a farce."
- He wrote, "[Y]our Administration could say El Salvador was no longer contractually obligated to imprison Mr. Abrego Garcia. Then El Salvador can release him, and Attorney General Bondi can, as promised, send the plane."
Catch up quick: After he was twice denied visits with Ábrego García at the high-security Salvadoran mega-prison where he was initially held, Van Hollen was able to speak with him earlier this month.
- The senator said Ábrego García was traumatized in the country's notorious Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison and had been moved to a detention center in Santa Ana, El Salvador.
The U.S. government accused Ábrego García of being a member of MS-13, but he has not been charged with any gang-related crimes.
- Homeland Security had also pointed to a temporary protective order his wife filed against him in 2021, though she defended her husband and said the incident was "not a justification for ICE's action."
Zoom in: Van Hollen urged the administration to "put up or shut up in court" in his letter.
- "I am not vouching for the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia," he wrote, "I am vouching for his rights."
- He added, "This case is not about Kilmar alone. It is about everyone in America."
Go deeper: Judge in deportation case threatens Trump admin with contempt of court
Editor's note: This story was updated with a response from the White House.
