Trump Supporters and Democrats at Odds Over Van Hollen's Trip to El Salvador
President Donald Trump and his allies claimed that the Maryland senator’s meeting with the Salvadoran native who was deported illegally was benefiting the administration.
TroibNews 
Democrats are hailing Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia as a significant achievement in their efforts to secure the release of the man wrongfully deported.
However, President Donald Trump is also claiming victory from the meeting.
The two parties are engaged in a conflict over narratives surrounding Abrego Garcia’s case, which has become a focal point in the escalating tension between Trump and the judiciary concerning the administration's mass deportation policies.
On Thursday, Van Hollen successfully arranged a meeting with Abrego Garcia, who was deported illegally by the Trump administration to El Salvador and has been held in the country's CECOT mega-prison for the past month. The Maryland senator has been at the forefront of Democratic efforts to hold the administration accountable.
After facing initial resistance from the Salvadoran government, which blocked his effort to visit the infamous prison, Van Hollen managed to meet Abrego Garcia—who lived in Maryland prior to his deportation—on Thursday. He shared on X: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance.”
Democrats quickly labeled the meeting a success, commending Van Hollen for his unwavering commitment to seeing Abrego Garcia.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Van Hollen’s colleague from Maryland, expressed her pride in a post on X: “This is what leadership looks like. I’m proud of my partner and our senior Senator. We won’t stop until we bring Kilmar home.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders also expressed gratitude to Van Hollen for his visit, stating on X: “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.”
In contrast, Trump and top officials in his administration argued that Van Hollen’s visit ultimately benefited them.
Trump ridiculed Van Hollen in a post on Truth Social on Friday, writing: “Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone. GRANDSTANDER!!!”
Additionally, the official White House account on X shared side-by-side images of Van Hollen’s meeting with Abrego Garcia and Trump’s Oval Office discussion with the mother of Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman whose killer—convicted this week—was an undocumented immigrant, suggesting a comparison between the two encounters.
“We are not the same,” the post declared, which has been pinned atop the White House’s profile. White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai criticized Van Hollen in a post Thursday night, underscoring the administration’s stance regarding the two parties’ priorities: “Chris Van Hollen has firmly established Democrats as the party whose top priority is the welfare of an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist. It is truly disgusting. President Trump will continue to stand on the side of law-abiding Americans.”
For several days, the White House has aimed to depict the Democrats’ advocacy for Abrego Garcia as support for someone the administration has labeled an MS-13 gang member and terrorist, despite a federal judge characterizing the evidence presented by the administration as weak.
Meanwhile, the administration has portrayed itself as a supporter of justice for the Morin family, who are grappling with the loss of their daughter.
Trump has resisted efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, despite repeated judicial orders to do so. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis directed the administration to “facilitate” his return after government lawyers conceded that Abrego Garcia's deportation was an “administrative error.” In previous rulings, the judge had denounced the evidence of gang affiliation cited by the government—a tip from an informant and the fact that he had worn Chicago Bulls gear—as flimsy.
The Supreme Court later upheld Xinis’ order for his return. A federal appellate court opinion issued just hours before Van Hollen's meeting with Abrego Garcia also criticized the Trump administration’s approach to the case.
“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,” wrote 4th Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee.
He added: “This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.”
The unanimous three-judge panel declined to overturn Judge Xinis’ order demanding the U.S. facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.
On Friday, the White House posted an edited headline from The New York Times describing Abrego Garcia as an “MS-13 illegal alien” who is “never coming back.”
The administration has also found an ally in Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who appears to align with the Trump administration’s messaging on Abrego Garcia’s case.
During a visit to the White House on Monday, Bukele stated he would not release Abrego Garcia, questioning, “How can I return him to the United States? Am I going to smuggle him?” This gave Trump an opportunity to assert that he was unable to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.
Bukele mocked the concerns of Democrats over CECOT’s conditions in a post discussing Van Hollen’s meeting, stating: “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 hinted that the debate over Abrego Garcia is ongoing, asserting that the Maryland native “gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”
In another post, he remarked, “I love chess,” as reactions to Van Hollen’s visit began to unfold. The Trump War Room account, managed by the president’s political operation, shared Bukele’s message.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
However, President Donald Trump is also claiming victory from the meeting.
The two parties are engaged in a conflict over narratives surrounding Abrego Garcia’s case, which has become a focal point in the escalating tension between Trump and the judiciary concerning the administration's mass deportation policies.
On Thursday, Van Hollen successfully arranged a meeting with Abrego Garcia, who was deported illegally by the Trump administration to El Salvador and has been held in the country's CECOT mega-prison for the past month. The Maryland senator has been at the forefront of Democratic efforts to hold the administration accountable.
After facing initial resistance from the Salvadoran government, which blocked his effort to visit the infamous prison, Van Hollen managed to meet Abrego Garcia—who lived in Maryland prior to his deportation—on Thursday. He shared on X: “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance.”
Democrats quickly labeled the meeting a success, commending Van Hollen for his unwavering commitment to seeing Abrego Garcia.
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Van Hollen’s colleague from Maryland, expressed her pride in a post on X: “This is what leadership looks like. I’m proud of my partner and our senior Senator. We won’t stop until we bring Kilmar home.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders also expressed gratitude to Van Hollen for his visit, stating on X: “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.”
In contrast, Trump and top officials in his administration argued that Van Hollen’s visit ultimately benefited them.
Trump ridiculed Van Hollen in a post on Truth Social on Friday, writing: “Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone. GRANDSTANDER!!!”
Additionally, the official White House account on X shared side-by-side images of Van Hollen’s meeting with Abrego Garcia and Trump’s Oval Office discussion with the mother of Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman whose killer—convicted this week—was an undocumented immigrant, suggesting a comparison between the two encounters.
“We are not the same,” the post declared, which has been pinned atop the White House’s profile. White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai criticized Van Hollen in a post Thursday night, underscoring the administration’s stance regarding the two parties’ priorities: “Chris Van Hollen has firmly established Democrats as the party whose top priority is the welfare of an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist. It is truly disgusting. President Trump will continue to stand on the side of law-abiding Americans.”
For several days, the White House has aimed to depict the Democrats’ advocacy for Abrego Garcia as support for someone the administration has labeled an MS-13 gang member and terrorist, despite a federal judge characterizing the evidence presented by the administration as weak.
Meanwhile, the administration has portrayed itself as a supporter of justice for the Morin family, who are grappling with the loss of their daughter.
Trump has resisted efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, despite repeated judicial orders to do so. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis directed the administration to “facilitate” his return after government lawyers conceded that Abrego Garcia's deportation was an “administrative error.” In previous rulings, the judge had denounced the evidence of gang affiliation cited by the government—a tip from an informant and the fact that he had worn Chicago Bulls gear—as flimsy.
The Supreme Court later upheld Xinis’ order for his return. A federal appellate court opinion issued just hours before Van Hollen's meeting with Abrego Garcia also criticized the Trump administration’s approach to the case.
“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,” wrote 4th Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson, a Reagan appointee.
He added: “This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.”
The unanimous three-judge panel declined to overturn Judge Xinis’ order demanding the U.S. facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.
On Friday, the White House posted an edited headline from The New York Times describing Abrego Garcia as an “MS-13 illegal alien” who is “never coming back.”
The administration has also found an ally in Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who appears to align with the Trump administration’s messaging on Abrego Garcia’s case.
During a visit to the White House on Monday, Bukele stated he would not release Abrego Garcia, questioning, “How can I return him to the United States? Am I going to smuggle him?” This gave Trump an opportunity to assert that he was unable to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.
Bukele mocked the concerns of Democrats over CECOT’s conditions in a post discussing Van Hollen’s meeting, stating: “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 hinted that the debate over Abrego Garcia is ongoing, asserting that the Maryland native “gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”
In another post, he remarked, “I love chess,” as reactions to Van Hollen’s visit began to unfold. The Trump War Room account, managed by the president’s political operation, shared Bukele’s message.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
