Van Hollen’s standout moment: Advocating for a constituent while opposing Trump
The Maryland Democrat is currently gaining national attention as he champions the cause of his constituent, who was wrongfully deported.
TroibNews 
Chris Van Hollen has quietly served as a lawmaker for nearly a decade, often remaining under the radar. However, the Maryland Democrat, who left a path of leadership in the House to take on a Senate role, now appears to be at a pivotal moment in his career.
His recent two-day trip to El Salvador brought national attention, as he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration on unfounded gang membership allegations. Although initially barred from entering a maximum-security prison by the Salvadoran government, Van Hollen was ultimately able to meet with his constituent after Garcia was transferred to another detention facility.
“If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process for everyone else in America,” Van Hollen remarked at a Dulles International Airport press conference shortly after returning from El Salvador.
He was surrounded by supporters holding signs that thanked the senator for his efforts.
This situation has propelled Van Hollen into the spotlight as a new figure for the so-called resistance, with many progressives viewing the 66-year-old legislator as a guide for combating President Donald Trump and effectively communicating the human impacts of the administration's immigration policies.
“We’re not in the majority, and we don’t control the legislative agenda on the floor; we have to take whatever creative steps we can outside of the normal course of business to influence events,” said House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, who succeeded Van Hollen in representing the suburban Washington area with a significant Salvadoran population. “Van Hollen’s trip down there definitely helped to galvanize people’s attention and to keep it in the front of everybody’s mind.”
This visit marks a significant step in Van Hollen's career at a time when Democrats are beginning to discuss the need for generational change within their leadership.
“We’ve been flailing since Trump won. I’d be lying if I said morale wasn’t shot over here,” noted one Democratic aide for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Van Hollen serves.
“The Dems really need something to rally the troops,” the aide, who spoke anonymously, stated. “[Sen. Cory] Booker’s floor speech did that. Van Hollen’s trip is doing that.”
While Democrats have unified in opposing numerous Trump policy initiatives, they have faced challenges in presenting a cohesive stance on various issues, especially immigration, since their loss in the White House. Party members have expressed frustration, both privately and publicly, over their struggles to counteract the rapid pace at which Trump’s agenda has disrupted norms and skirted Congressional and judicial oversight.
Van Hollen's actions, including his willingness to take personal safety risks by traveling to El Salvador, offered Democrats a way to counter their sense of despair. Many progressives view his emphasis on Garcia's case as a principled stand on immigration that could resonate with disaffected voters.
“If ever Democrats were looking for a strong place to pick a fight on immigration — the whisking people off the streets without due process . . . this is the place to pick the fight,” commented Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
Leah Greenberg, the co-founder of the activism group Indivisible, expressed similar views.
“This demonstrates that Democrats are moving to an alternate position, which is that, if you take a clear stance and you robustly defend it, you bring people along with you,” Greenberg said, as her organization has been urging Democrats to adopt a more aggressive opposition to Trump.
Garcia was deported last month even after a judge ruled he should remain in the U.S. due to threats from gangs in his home country. A federal judge has since ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return, and the Supreme Court has upheld that order.
Despite acknowledging their mistake, officials from the Trump administration have resisted actions to fix the situation, insisting instead that Garcia must stay in El Salvador. The incident has ignited a political storm, placing Van Hollen in the spotlight.
“By the way, @ChrisVanHollen — he’s NOT coming back,” the White House posted on social media Friday.
El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, a close Trump ally, also disparaged Van Hollen.
“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 tweeted, accompanied by images of their meeting at a restaurant. There is no evidence that they were consuming cocktails.
Van Hollen, who was first elected to the House in 2003 and ascended through significant party roles, prioritized a Senate seat when Barbara Mikulski decided to retire in 2016. While in the Senate, he has typically taken a more subdued role, often limited by a caucus structure that favors seniority.
Nonetheless, he has long advocated for a foreign policy centered on human rights, even standing against fellow Democrats and U.S. allies. He notably criticized the Israeli government's actions during the Gaza conflict, accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of war crimes and urging President Biden to reconsider aid.
“If you know Senator Van Hollen, you know he is particularly passionate about international issues,” said fellow Maryland Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth. Raskin speculated that Van Hollen might have been considered for a Secretary of State position had Vice President Kamala Harris won the presidency.
At the press conference, Van Hollen acknowledged that others in Congress were also considering trips to El Salvador, signaling that he may not be the last to pursue similar opportunities.
“I’ve told the vice president of El Salvador that I might be the first senator — the first member of Congress — to come down to El Salvador, but I won’t be the last,” he stated. “There are others coming.”
Senator Booker, who garnered significant attention for a lengthy filibuster against Trump’s agenda, has indicated plans for his own visit. Democratic Representatives Delia Ramirez, Maxwell Frost, and Robert Garcia have urged Republican committee chairs to organize official delegations, although their requests have been met with refusal from Homeland Security's Mark Green and Oversight's James Comer.
As the incident became a point of contention between parties, Ramirez condemned her “Republican colleagues” for their ongoing complicity, while Comer responded to Frost and Garcia, implying they could spend their own money to join Garcia in El Salvador for drinks with “a foreign gang member.”
Van Hollen, addressing the claims of "Margaritagate," firmly refuted them, stating, “nobody drank any margaritas, or sugar water, or whatever,” and pointed out that props had been placed on the table to create a misleading narrative.
In his prepared remarks from the flight home, he stressed the legal rights denied to Garcia and vowed to continue fighting for his return to Maryland, declaring both the Trump administration and the Salvadoran government complicit in an “illegal scheme.”
“This should not be an issue for Republicans or Democrats,” Van Hollen insisted. “This is an issue for every American who cares about our constitution, who cares about individual liberty, who cares about due process and who cares about what makes America so different, which is adherence to all these things. This is an American issue.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
His recent two-day trip to El Salvador brought national attention, as he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration on unfounded gang membership allegations. Although initially barred from entering a maximum-security prison by the Salvadoran government, Van Hollen was ultimately able to meet with his constituent after Garcia was transferred to another detention facility.
“If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process for everyone else in America,” Van Hollen remarked at a Dulles International Airport press conference shortly after returning from El Salvador.
He was surrounded by supporters holding signs that thanked the senator for his efforts.
This situation has propelled Van Hollen into the spotlight as a new figure for the so-called resistance, with many progressives viewing the 66-year-old legislator as a guide for combating President Donald Trump and effectively communicating the human impacts of the administration's immigration policies.
“We’re not in the majority, and we don’t control the legislative agenda on the floor; we have to take whatever creative steps we can outside of the normal course of business to influence events,” said House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, who succeeded Van Hollen in representing the suburban Washington area with a significant Salvadoran population. “Van Hollen’s trip down there definitely helped to galvanize people’s attention and to keep it in the front of everybody’s mind.”
This visit marks a significant step in Van Hollen's career at a time when Democrats are beginning to discuss the need for generational change within their leadership.
“We’ve been flailing since Trump won. I’d be lying if I said morale wasn’t shot over here,” noted one Democratic aide for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Van Hollen serves.
“The Dems really need something to rally the troops,” the aide, who spoke anonymously, stated. “[Sen. Cory] Booker’s floor speech did that. Van Hollen’s trip is doing that.”
While Democrats have unified in opposing numerous Trump policy initiatives, they have faced challenges in presenting a cohesive stance on various issues, especially immigration, since their loss in the White House. Party members have expressed frustration, both privately and publicly, over their struggles to counteract the rapid pace at which Trump’s agenda has disrupted norms and skirted Congressional and judicial oversight.
Van Hollen's actions, including his willingness to take personal safety risks by traveling to El Salvador, offered Democrats a way to counter their sense of despair. Many progressives view his emphasis on Garcia's case as a principled stand on immigration that could resonate with disaffected voters.
“If ever Democrats were looking for a strong place to pick a fight on immigration — the whisking people off the streets without due process . . . this is the place to pick the fight,” commented Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
Leah Greenberg, the co-founder of the activism group Indivisible, expressed similar views.
“This demonstrates that Democrats are moving to an alternate position, which is that, if you take a clear stance and you robustly defend it, you bring people along with you,” Greenberg said, as her organization has been urging Democrats to adopt a more aggressive opposition to Trump.
Garcia was deported last month even after a judge ruled he should remain in the U.S. due to threats from gangs in his home country. A federal judge has since ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return, and the Supreme Court has upheld that order.
Despite acknowledging their mistake, officials from the Trump administration have resisted actions to fix the situation, insisting instead that Garcia must stay in El Salvador. The incident has ignited a political storm, placing Van Hollen in the spotlight.
“By the way, @ChrisVanHollen — he’s NOT coming back,” the White House posted on social media Friday.
El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, a close Trump ally, also disparaged Van Hollen.
“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 tweeted, accompanied by images of their meeting at a restaurant. There is no evidence that they were consuming cocktails.
Van Hollen, who was first elected to the House in 2003 and ascended through significant party roles, prioritized a Senate seat when Barbara Mikulski decided to retire in 2016. While in the Senate, he has typically taken a more subdued role, often limited by a caucus structure that favors seniority.
Nonetheless, he has long advocated for a foreign policy centered on human rights, even standing against fellow Democrats and U.S. allies. He notably criticized the Israeli government's actions during the Gaza conflict, accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of war crimes and urging President Biden to reconsider aid.
“If you know Senator Van Hollen, you know he is particularly passionate about international issues,” said fellow Maryland Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth. Raskin speculated that Van Hollen might have been considered for a Secretary of State position had Vice President Kamala Harris won the presidency.
At the press conference, Van Hollen acknowledged that others in Congress were also considering trips to El Salvador, signaling that he may not be the last to pursue similar opportunities.
“I’ve told the vice president of El Salvador that I might be the first senator — the first member of Congress — to come down to El Salvador, but I won’t be the last,” he stated. “There are others coming.”
Senator Booker, who garnered significant attention for a lengthy filibuster against Trump’s agenda, has indicated plans for his own visit. Democratic Representatives Delia Ramirez, Maxwell Frost, and Robert Garcia have urged Republican committee chairs to organize official delegations, although their requests have been met with refusal from Homeland Security's Mark Green and Oversight's James Comer.
As the incident became a point of contention between parties, Ramirez condemned her “Republican colleagues” for their ongoing complicity, while Comer responded to Frost and Garcia, implying they could spend their own money to join Garcia in El Salvador for drinks with “a foreign gang member.”
Van Hollen, addressing the claims of "Margaritagate," firmly refuted them, stating, “nobody drank any margaritas, or sugar water, or whatever,” and pointed out that props had been placed on the table to create a misleading narrative.
In his prepared remarks from the flight home, he stressed the legal rights denied to Garcia and vowed to continue fighting for his return to Maryland, declaring both the Trump administration and the Salvadoran government complicit in an “illegal scheme.”
“This should not be an issue for Republicans or Democrats,” Van Hollen insisted. “This is an issue for every American who cares about our constitution, who cares about individual liberty, who cares about due process and who cares about what makes America so different, which is adherence to all these things. This is an American issue.”
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
