Van Hollen visits El Salvador as Trump officials intensify justification for illegal deportation
Vice President JD Vance, along with senior administration officials, has come to the defense of the Trump administration’s actions in light of an intensifying legal dispute.
TroibNews 
Sen. Chris Van Hollen is heading to El Salvador on Wednesday to seek the release of a man wrongfully deported by the Trump administration. This visit comes as the Trump administration intensifies its defense of its mass deportation policy in the midst of increasing scrutiny over the case.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become a focal point in the Trump administration’s broader deportation strategy. The administration has resisted efforts to facilitate his return to the United States, despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating that they must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return following his illegal deportation.
Trump and his senior officials assert that they have no legal responsibility other than to allow Abrego Garcia to re-enter the country if he is released by El Salvador from a high-security prison. However, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has cultivated a relationship with Trump, stated during a recent visit to the Oval Office that he would not release Abrego Garcia.
The Trump administration's inaction regarding Abrego Garcia—who was living in Maryland before being deported to El Salvador last month—has raised concern among Democrats, who view the administration's approach as unlawful.
Van Hollen has been an outspoken advocate for Abrego Garcia's release, vowing on Monday to travel to El Salvador to “check on” his condition and “discuss his release” after Bukele declined to meet with him during his trip to Washington.
Following through on his commitment, Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday morning. “The goal of this mission is to let the Trump administration, let the government of El Salvador know that we are going to keep fighting to bring Abrego Garcia home until he returns to his family,” Van Hollen stated in a video from the airport en route to San Salvador. He expressed his hope to “meet with representatives of the government” and “see Kilmar.”
Tom Homan, a border czar under Trump, criticized Van Hollen's visit, calling it “disgusting” during a Fox News segment. He echoed the administration's narrative that the senator is prioritizing an “MS-13 terrorist” over Rachel Morin, a woman from Maryland whose murderer—a convicted undocumented immigrant—was recently identified.
“He wasn’t abducted. He is an MS-13 gang member, classified as a terrorist, that was removed from this country. So we got rid of a dangerous person — an El Salvadoran national was returned to the country of El Salvador, to his home,” Homan stated, branding Abrego Garcia a “public safety threat.”
Administration officials have repeatedly labeled Abrego Garcia as a “terrorist” and a member of MS-13. They base this claim on a 2019 immigration court proceeding, yet U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who ordered Abrego Garcia’s return, described the evidence of gang affiliation as extraordinarily weak, comprising only a tip from an informant and the fact that Abrego Garcia wore Chicago Bulls clothing.
Government lawyers admitted earlier this month that Abrego Garcia had been deported in violation of federal law. An immigration judge previously determined that he had a legitimate fear of persecution in El Salvador, barring his deportation. He was among the many individuals deported to El Salvador's notorious CECOT mega-prison last month.
Judge Xinis announced on Tuesday that her court will initiate an “intense” two-week inquiry into the Trump administration’s actions—or lack thereof—in facilitating Abrego Garcia’s return. She emphasized that the Supreme Court’s order was “very clear” about the government’s obligation to work towards his release.
“I’m cleaving as closely as one can cleave to the Supreme Court,” the judge expressed in court. “There is, in my view, nothing to appeal. Now, we get to the facts.”
As Van Hollen made his way to El Salvador, Vice President JD Vance defended the administration’s policies on social media, attributing the overwhelm in the immigration system to President Joe Biden's approach. He dismissed concerns regarding due process for undocumented immigrants: "What process is due is a function of our resources, the public interest, the status of the accused, the proposed punishment, and so many other factors," Vance argued.
“Biden overwhelmed the system with illegal migration. Is your proposed solution to give a jury trial to all 20 million illegal aliens?” he added in a heated exchange on X.
In another post, Vance called the idea of granting all undocumented immigrants the right to “burden of ‘proof’ and a ‘trial’” “preposterous,” questioning how such standards would lead to anything other than the nullification of election results.
As the administration reinforces its deportation strategy, more Democrats are planning their own visits to El Salvador. Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey is already organizing his travel, and several House Democrats are seeking permission from Republican leadership for an official congressional trip, known as a CODEL, to the country.
Conversely, some House Republicans are also planning visits to support Trump’s deportation initiatives. Rep. Riley Moore shared photos of himself in front of crowds of prisoners at the CECOT mega-prison, stating that his “tour” of the facility strengthened his resolve to support President Trump’s efforts to secure the homeland.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become a focal point in the Trump administration’s broader deportation strategy. The administration has resisted efforts to facilitate his return to the United States, despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating that they must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return following his illegal deportation.
Trump and his senior officials assert that they have no legal responsibility other than to allow Abrego Garcia to re-enter the country if he is released by El Salvador from a high-security prison. However, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has cultivated a relationship with Trump, stated during a recent visit to the Oval Office that he would not release Abrego Garcia.
The Trump administration's inaction regarding Abrego Garcia—who was living in Maryland before being deported to El Salvador last month—has raised concern among Democrats, who view the administration's approach as unlawful.
Van Hollen has been an outspoken advocate for Abrego Garcia's release, vowing on Monday to travel to El Salvador to “check on” his condition and “discuss his release” after Bukele declined to meet with him during his trip to Washington.
Following through on his commitment, Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday morning. “The goal of this mission is to let the Trump administration, let the government of El Salvador know that we are going to keep fighting to bring Abrego Garcia home until he returns to his family,” Van Hollen stated in a video from the airport en route to San Salvador. He expressed his hope to “meet with representatives of the government” and “see Kilmar.”
Tom Homan, a border czar under Trump, criticized Van Hollen's visit, calling it “disgusting” during a Fox News segment. He echoed the administration's narrative that the senator is prioritizing an “MS-13 terrorist” over Rachel Morin, a woman from Maryland whose murderer—a convicted undocumented immigrant—was recently identified.
“He wasn’t abducted. He is an MS-13 gang member, classified as a terrorist, that was removed from this country. So we got rid of a dangerous person — an El Salvadoran national was returned to the country of El Salvador, to his home,” Homan stated, branding Abrego Garcia a “public safety threat.”
Administration officials have repeatedly labeled Abrego Garcia as a “terrorist” and a member of MS-13. They base this claim on a 2019 immigration court proceeding, yet U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who ordered Abrego Garcia’s return, described the evidence of gang affiliation as extraordinarily weak, comprising only a tip from an informant and the fact that Abrego Garcia wore Chicago Bulls clothing.
Government lawyers admitted earlier this month that Abrego Garcia had been deported in violation of federal law. An immigration judge previously determined that he had a legitimate fear of persecution in El Salvador, barring his deportation. He was among the many individuals deported to El Salvador's notorious CECOT mega-prison last month.
Judge Xinis announced on Tuesday that her court will initiate an “intense” two-week inquiry into the Trump administration’s actions—or lack thereof—in facilitating Abrego Garcia’s return. She emphasized that the Supreme Court’s order was “very clear” about the government’s obligation to work towards his release.
“I’m cleaving as closely as one can cleave to the Supreme Court,” the judge expressed in court. “There is, in my view, nothing to appeal. Now, we get to the facts.”
As Van Hollen made his way to El Salvador, Vice President JD Vance defended the administration’s policies on social media, attributing the overwhelm in the immigration system to President Joe Biden's approach. He dismissed concerns regarding due process for undocumented immigrants: "What process is due is a function of our resources, the public interest, the status of the accused, the proposed punishment, and so many other factors," Vance argued.
“Biden overwhelmed the system with illegal migration. Is your proposed solution to give a jury trial to all 20 million illegal aliens?” he added in a heated exchange on X.
In another post, Vance called the idea of granting all undocumented immigrants the right to “burden of ‘proof’ and a ‘trial’” “preposterous,” questioning how such standards would lead to anything other than the nullification of election results.
As the administration reinforces its deportation strategy, more Democrats are planning their own visits to El Salvador. Sen. Cory Booker from New Jersey is already organizing his travel, and several House Democrats are seeking permission from Republican leadership for an official congressional trip, known as a CODEL, to the country.
Conversely, some House Republicans are also planning visits to support Trump’s deportation initiatives. Rep. Riley Moore shared photos of himself in front of crowds of prisoners at the CECOT mega-prison, stating that his “tour” of the facility strengthened his resolve to support President Trump’s efforts to secure the homeland.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
