Maryland Senator Advocates for Release of Man At Center Of Court Showdown Over Deportations

We have an unjust situation here.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) on the United States deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to an El Salvador prison in March. The Trump administration previously stated he was deported due to an “administrative error“ but has since maintained that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous individual and a member of the MS-13 gang.

Why It Matters: The Trump administration asserts the executive branch has the ultimately decision on deporting individuals the U.S. Justice Department deems a threat to the U.S. public. Democrats and immigration advocates assert non-citizen residents need due process before removal from America. The Supreme Court recently weighed-in, offering a decision that both empowered the executive branch to remove individuals citing a 1798 law AND confirming that individuals need some due process before removal. Legal battles over this case continue to swirl in the lower courts.

Sen. Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with Vice President Félix Ulloa to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s release from the local prison and return to the United States. Sen. Hollen said in a news conference that VP Ulloa would not release Abrego Garcia, nor would he let Sen. Hollen visit Abrego Garcia in prison. Abrego Garcia’s deportation was part of the Trump administration’s deportation efforts to remove illegal immigrants and alleged gang members from the U.S.

More Background: Abrego Garcia admitted to entering the country illegally in 2012. He married a U.S. citizen in 2019, and they had a child later that year.

• On Wednesday, the Justice Department released documents from a 2019 arrest that allege Abrego Garcia’s involvement with the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys continue to deny he has any involvement with the MS-13 gang.
• The Department of Homeland Security also released a temporary protective order filed against Albrego Garcia by his wife in 2021 alleging abusse. His wife says that she dropped the case and the two were able to work through things via counseling.
• In 2019, an immigration court issued a “withholding of removal” order that blocked Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador due to his “fear of persecution” of gang retaliation in El Salvador. He was then allowed to stay in the U.S. temporarily and receive a work permit.
• The immigration case is still working its way through the courts, but ultimately Democrats argue Abrego Garcia has not been convicted of MS-13 involvement and say he deserves due process. Republicans argue Abrego Garcia entered the country illegally, has a criminal record and should remain in his home country of El Salvador.

Read More: New documents detail government’s case that mistakenly deported man was a gang member (NBC)

Sen. Holley’s Press Conference Following Meeting with El Salvador VP (YouTube)