Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia and insists on defending him against possible deportation to Uganda

Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen once again expressed his support for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant accused of belonging to the MS-13 gang and of participating in a human trafficking network. The legislator held a meeting with Abrego Garcia and his wife on Sunday morning, just hours before the Department of Homeland Security notified that the Salvadoran would be deported to Uganda.

The Democratic senator's defense

In a statement, Van Hollen said he was "glad" to speak with Abrego Garcia again, whom he described as the victim of a "long and torturous nightmare." The senator said he will continue to fight for "due process" and accused the Trump Administration of trying to deny him his constitutional rights.

"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 said.

Van Hollen had already caused controversy months ago when he traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia during his detention in that country. Now, he insists on publicly defending him even after immigration authorities announced their intention to send him to Africa.

A history marked by criminal charges

The Justice Department alleges that Abrego Garcia was involved in an illegal immigrant smuggling operation within the United States and also accuses him of domestic violence and abuse against women.

In 2022, Abrego Garcia was pulled over in Tennessee during a traffic stop while driving a vehicle registered to Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, a federal convict imprisoned in Alabama. Inside the car were nine people traveling without luggage, leading agents to suspect that they were undocumented immigrants being moved illegally. Although he was allowed to proceed at the time, subsequent investigations revealed that Hernandez-Reyes had been charged in 2020 with operating a human smuggling scheme from the southern border. According to the FBI, Hernandez-Reyes himself stated that he hired Abrego Garcia to engage in that activity.