Sen. Van Hollen Meets with Kilmer Abrego Garcia
On Sunday, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) met with Kilmer Abrego Garcia, who had been mistakenly deported but managed to return to the U.S. and is determined to continue advocating for Maryland residents.
This was their first meeting since Van Hollen visited El Salvador earlier this year to connect with his constituents.
“Talking to Kilmer Abrego Garcia this morning was important for me. After a challenging ordeal, it was heartening to see him back in Maryland. It was the first time since our meeting in El Salvador that we spoke,” he noted.
During their conversation, Van Hollen emphasized the struggles Abrego Garcia and others like him have faced in ensuring their constitutional rights are honored, despite the challenges posed by the previous administration.
Abrego Garcia was released from custody last week; this marked the first occasion he had been outside of the government’s detention since his deportation mishap to El Salvador’s MegaPrison in March due to “administrative errors.” Currently, he is facing human smuggling charges in the U.S.
Interestingly, the federal government is now attempting to deport him to Uganda, which has agreed to accept him under a deal with the previous administration.
A court filing indicated that even though Abrego Garcia initially entered the U.S. illegally, he was protected by an order that barred his deportation. He declined a plea agreement that would have allowed him to live in Costa Rica as a refugee after serving time.
Van Hollen has committed to fighting against the efforts to deport him.
“Thanks to public protests and the federal courts, the administration was pressured to allow Abrego Garcia to return to Maryland. Yet, there are still misleading narratives about his situation, and attempts to forcibly send him to Uganda persist,” he expressed.
“I assured Kilmer and his wife, Jennifer, that we will continue this fight for justice. If his rights are compromised, it sets a worrying precedent for the rights of everyone else,” he added.
