Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on Sunday met virtually with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported but returned to the U.S., and vowed to continue fighting to protect the Maryland resident.
Van Hollen said the meeting was their first since the Maryland senator traveled to El Salvador to check on his constituent earlier this year.
“I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with Kilmar Ábrego García this morning and welcome him back to Maryland after what has been a long and torturous nightmare. It was the first time I have talked to him since our meeting in El Salvador,” Van Hollen said in a statement.
“During our conversation, I shared with him that I and many others have been fighting for months to ensure that his constitutional due process rights were respected despite Trump’s efforts to deny them at every turn,” he continued.
Abrego Garcia was released from criminal custody this past week, his first time outside of government custody since March, when he was mistakenly deported to a megaprison in El Salvador due to an “administrative error.” Abrego Garcia faces human smuggling charges in the U.S.
But the federal government is now seeking to deport him to Uganda, which has struck an agreement with the Trump administration to accept deportees.
According to court filings, Abrego Garcia — who originally entered the U.S. illegally but was protected by a court order blocking his deportation — declined a plea deal this past week that would have given him the option to “live freely” with refugee or residency status in Costa Rica after serving prison time.
Van Hollen pledged to continue fighting the deportation effort
“The federal courts and public outcry forced the Administration to bring Ábrego García back to Maryland, but Trump’s cronies continue to lie about the facts in his case and they are engaged in a malicious abuse of power as they threaten to deport him to Uganda — to block his chance to defend himself against the new charges they brought,” Van Hollen said.
“As I told Kilmar and his wife Jennifer, we will stay in this fight for justice and due process because if his rights are denied, the rights of everyone else are put at risk,” he continued.
