Fresh images of deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia emerged Thursday after El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted photos of him sipping margaritas with US Senator Chris Van Hollen, sparking a new wave of controversy around the 29-year-old’s detention.
Bukele in a post on X said, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹”
The meeting comes months after Abrego Garcia was deported in March by the Trump administration despite an active immigration court order blocking his removal. His lawyers have since been fighting for his return to the United States, accusing the administration of violating due process and international law.
Sen. Van Hollen, who travelled to El Salvador this week to push for Abrego Garcia’s release, said he met the detainee on Thursday and called his wife to “pass along his message of love.” Earlier that day, Van Hollen said he was denied access to the high-security CECOT prison, where he believes Abrego Garcia had been held.
“They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed,” the senator said, describing how soldiers turned his vehicle away just kilometres from the facility.
The Trump administration acknowledged the deportation as a “mistake” and the US Supreme Court has urged officials to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. However, El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa reportedly told Van Hollen that their government has no intention of sending him back.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have accused President Bukele’s administration of mistreating detainees in the country’s sprawling gang prison system. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and former Maryland resident, has not been charged with any crime in the US , though Trump officials have claimed he has ties to the MS-13 gang — allegations his lawyers say remain unsubstantiated.
“This is about due process and the rule of law,” Van Hollen said. “We won’t give up until Kilmar has his due process rights respected.”
The senator’s visit has deepened partisan tensions back home. While Democrats argue the deportation exemplifies the Trump administration’s disregard for court orders, Republicans have rallied around the crackdown. GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, have toured the CECOT prison in support of Trump's immigration policy. Moore wrote on social media that the facility “houses the country’s most brutal criminals,” while Smith praised Trump for its expansion to include “illegal immigrants who broke into our country and committed violent acts against Americans.”
More Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, are reportedly planning similar visits. Since March, El Salvador has received over 200 deportees from the US , many accused of gang affiliations, and detained them in the controversial maximum-security prison outside San Salvador.
Court documents show the US government has repeatedly declined to disclose its plans for Abrego Garcia’s repatriation, further fuelling legal battles and international scrutiny over the case.
Bukele in a post on X said, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹”
Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody 🇺🇸🤝🏼🇸🇻 https://t.co/2xVt4SNOGn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025
The meeting comes months after Abrego Garcia was deported in March by the Trump administration despite an active immigration court order blocking his removal. His lawyers have since been fighting for his return to the United States, accusing the administration of violating due process and international law.
Sen. Van Hollen, who travelled to El Salvador this week to push for Abrego Garcia’s release, said he met the detainee on Thursday and called his wife to “pass along his message of love.” Earlier that day, Van Hollen said he was denied access to the high-security CECOT prison, where he believes Abrego Garcia had been held.
“They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed,” the senator said, describing how soldiers turned his vehicle away just kilometres from the facility.
The Trump administration acknowledged the deportation as a “mistake” and the US Supreme Court has urged officials to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. However, El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa reportedly told Van Hollen that their government has no intention of sending him back.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have accused President Bukele’s administration of mistreating detainees in the country’s sprawling gang prison system. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and former Maryland resident, has not been charged with any crime in the US , though Trump officials have claimed he has ties to the MS-13 gang — allegations his lawyers say remain unsubstantiated.
“This is about due process and the rule of law,” Van Hollen said. “We won’t give up until Kilmar has his due process rights respected.”
The senator’s visit has deepened partisan tensions back home. While Democrats argue the deportation exemplifies the Trump administration’s disregard for court orders, Republicans have rallied around the crackdown. GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, have toured the CECOT prison in support of Trump's immigration policy. Moore wrote on social media that the facility “houses the country’s most brutal criminals,” while Smith praised Trump for its expansion to include “illegal immigrants who broke into our country and committed violent acts against Americans.”
More Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, are reportedly planning similar visits. Since March, El Salvador has received over 200 deportees from the US , many accused of gang affiliations, and detained them in the controversial maximum-security prison outside San Salvador.
Court documents show the US government has repeatedly declined to disclose its plans for Abrego Garcia’s repatriation, further fuelling legal battles and international scrutiny over the case.
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