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By Jesus Mesa and Gabe Whisnant
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland steelworker, has been moved from El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison to a lower-security detention facility, according to Senator Chris Van Hollen.
The Maryland Democrat traveled to the Central American country to meet with Abrego Garcia, who he said had been "traumatized" during nearly three weeks of incarceration in the high-security facility known for human rights abuses.
"This is about safeguarding the constitutional rights of everyone living in the United States," Van Hollen said on Friday.
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Context
Abrego Garcia was arrested in 2019 and accused of being a member of the MS-13 gang, which the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Abrego Garcia denied being a member of the gang but two judges, in separate rulings, concluded that he was an MS-13 member, based on confidential information provided to the court. Nonetheless he was shielded from deportation to his homeland because he said that he would be targeted by MS-13's gangland rivals.
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Abrego Garcia was deported anyway to El Salvador after being arrested last month in what the Trump Administration lawyers said was an "administrative error". His family denies any ties to gangs and Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the United States, although his wife accused him of domestic violence and obtained a restraining order against him. She now says they have been reconciled.
ICE officials have admitted that Abrego Garcia's deportation was the result of an "administrative error." Yet the Trump administration has refused to act, even in light of a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the government to "facilitate" his return.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the ruling, stating that Abrego Garcia will "never live in the United States of America again."
What To Know
Van Hollen held a press conference on Friday after returning from El Salvador, where he met with Abrego Garcia.
During a press conference on Friday, Van Hollen said that Abrego Garcia told him he had been moved from the CECOT mega-prison to a detention center with improved conditions. While Abrego Garcia described the new facility as "pretty far outside of San Salvador," he did not specify its exact location.
According to Van Hollen, Abrego Garcia said he had previously been held in a cell with 25 other inmates and was "traumatized by being at CECOT," expressing fear of prisoners in nearby cell blocks who taunted him regularly.
The senator said Abrego Garcia was transferred nine days earlier to a facility in Santa Ana, where he remains in isolation, without access to television, internet or any form of outside communication.
"He said the conditions were better at this new detention center, but he was still in a total blackout," Van Hollen said in an interview before returning to Washington.
The senator described a deeply emotional moment during their meeting. Abrego Garcia, dressed in plain clothes and a baseball cap, became visibly distressed when talking about his family, particularly his 5-year-old son with autism, who was with him when he was arrested by U.S. authorities in Maryland.
As Van Hollen recounted Abrego Garcia's desire to speak with his wife, Jennifer, he wiped away tears.
"He immediately started welling up and crying—you could physically see the teardrops rolling down his cheek," Van Hollen said. "And he said what he was most worried about was how they were doing."
Van Hollen said that El Salvador's vice president confirmed there was no indication Abrego Garcia had committed any crime. The senator accused the Salvadoran government of accepting payments from the U.S. to detain Abrego Garcia.
"This is about bringing home a man they admit should've never been abducted," he said.
Bukele's Public Spin: Staged Photos and Political Theater
Despite continued diplomatic efforts, the Salvadoran government has signaled it will not release Abrego Garcia. President Nayib Bukele posted a photo of the meeting between Van Hollen and the prisoner, claiming that Abrego Garcia "gets the honor of staying in El Salvador's custody."
Van Hollen said Salvadoran officials gave margaritas to both men during their meeting. The senator said the drinks were handed to them solely for the photos, which were later circulated alongside images of Abrego Garcia's tattoos—moves Van Hollen characterized as an attempt to troll and distort the seriousness of the situation.
"This is a lesson in the lengths President Bukele will go to deceive people about what's going on. And it also shows the lengths Trump will go to," Van Hollen said.
The Maryland Democrat has pledged to continue advocating for Abrego Garcia, describing his case as emblematic of broader constitutional threats.
"Millions of Americans understand that what is happening to him is a threat to their own constitutional rights," the senator said.
What People Are Saying
Senator Chris Van Hollen, during a press conference after returning from El Salvador on Friday, said: "President Trump and the Trump administration want to claim that those who are fighting to uphold our Constitution don't want to combat gang violence. That is an outright lie. That is a big, big lie."
President Donald Trump, during a news conference at the White House on Friday: "You're talking about Abrego Garcia—he is an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member, and foreign terrorist. This comes from the State Department and very legitimate sources, I assume. I'm just giving you what they handed to me, but this is supposed to be certified stuff."
Judge Harvie Wilkinson III wrote in a ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: "The respect that courts must accord the Executive must be reciprocated by the Executive's respect for the courts. This case presents a unique chance to vindicate that value—and to summon the best that is within us while there is still time."
What Happens Next
More Democrats have said they will fly to El Salvador to push for his release, but the partisan pressure hasn't yielded any results. Trump and Bukele have dug in on keeping Abrego Garcia out of the U.S., even as officials in Trump's administration have called his deportation a mistake and the U.S. Supreme Court has called on the administration to facilitate his return.
Update 4/18/25, 5:47 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 4/18/25, 7:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and remarks.
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