US Senator Van Hollen says he met wrongly deported man in El Salvador
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US officials said in court filings on April 13 that they were not obligated to help the Maryland resident get out of prison in El Salvador after he was erroneously deported.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen said on April 17 that he met Mr Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man wrongly deported to El Salvador by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump.
The senator posted an image of himself with Mr Abrego Garcia on the social media platform X.
“I said my main goal of this trip (to El Salvador) was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return,” the senator wrote in his post.
On April 16, Mr Van Hollen said the authorities in El Salvador had denied him access
Mr Van Hollen, the senior senator from Maryland, where Mr Abrego Garcia lived, arrived in El Salvador on April 16 to meet with senior officials and advocate for Mr Abrego Garcia’s release, but was told by El Salvador’s Vice President Felix Ulloa that he could not authorise a visit or a call with Mr Abrego Garcia.
It was not immediately clear what changed that allowed the senator access.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who said in a White House meeting with Trump on April 14 that he had no intention of releasing Mr Abrego Garcia, also posted pictures of the encounter with Mr Van Hollen on social media.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’
Mr Bukele posted pictures of Mr Van Hollen, Mr Abrego Garcia and a third, unidentified man. There appeared to be glasses of water and other clear beverages on the table.
A representative of Mr Abrego Garcia did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting with the US senator. REUTERS
