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Van Hollen Gives Statement Following Visit To El Salvador
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Van Hollen Gives Statement Following Visit To El Salvador

Senator Chris Van Hollen found himself in the political hot seat this week after what was intended to be a humanitarian photo-op devolved into a public relations misfire—with international ridicule, social media mockery, and political blowback piling on.

The Maryland Democrat traveled to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant previously deported from the United States and alleged by the Trump administration to be a member of the MS-13 gang. Van Hollen has repeatedly argued that Garcia was wrongfully deported despite a 2019 court order to the contrary and that his case represents a denial of due process.

But what was meant to showcase solidarity quickly turned into a spectacle.

After the meeting, photos circulated showing Van Hollen and Garcia seated at a table with glasses containing what appeared to be margaritas—complete with sugar or salt on the rim and cherry garnishes. The optics alone were enough to prompt a blistering response from El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who took to social media to sarcastically declare:

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!”

Van Hollen quickly issued a rebuttal, emphasizing that no drinks were consumed and suggesting that a forensic glance at the photos confirmed his innocence. "If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was — salt or sugar — would disappear. You would see a gap," he said, stressing that no such gap existed.

Ironically, it was Van Hollen’s own office that distributed the images to the media—providing the material that both critics and political rivals used to lampoon the senator’s visit.

President Donald Trump joined the fray soon after, reiterating his administration’s position that Garcia is both an MS-13 member and a domestic abuser. Posting an image of Garcia’s tattooed knuckles—complete with skulls, crosses, and gang-related imagery—Trump declared:

“This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States… I must be allowed to do my job.”

The White House, weighing in on the matter, issued a sharp and final rebuke: Garcia is “NOT coming back” to the United States.

Van Hollen, meanwhile, redirected blame toward Bukele and Trump, accusing both of exploiting the situation for political gain. "This is a lesson into the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people," he said. “And it also shows the lengths that the Trump administration and the president will go to.”

Written by Arthur Higgens - April 21, 2025