Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen emphasized during a visit to El Salvador that his focus was on advocating for the due process rights of Kilmar Abrego Garcia rather than on supporting Garcia as an individual. “My mission and my purpose is to make sure that we uphold the rule of law, because if we take it away from him, we do jeopardize it for everybody else,” he stated on ABC News’ “This Week.”
Van Hollen pointed out that the Trump administration had acknowledged in a legal setting that Garcia was wrongfully detained and subsequently deported. He made clear that his intention was not to defend Garcia personally, but to champion the broader principles of justice and legal rights.
In a briefing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the senator cautioned that infringing on the constitutional rights of Garcia threatens the rights of all Americans, asserting that, “the constitutional rights of this one man… threatens the constitutional rights of everybody in America.”
Further discussing the matter on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he accused the Trump administration of disregarding judicial decisions. When posed with the question of whether the United States is experiencing a constitutional crisis, Van Hollen affirmed, “Yes, we are.”
The senator’s media engagements followed his recent trip to El Salvador, where he met Garcia, who was mistakenly deported from Maryland. Van Hollen recounted a conversation in which Garcia shared the trauma he suffered from his detention, including his experience in a notorious prison known as CECOT.
His visit coincided with remarks made by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who stated during a visit to the White House that he would not facilitate Garcia’s return to the U.S. Shortly thereafter, the Trump administration informed a federal judge that it lacked the power to compel El Salvador to return Garcia, despite a Supreme Court ruling that directed the administration to “facilitate” his return.
