Reuters reported that Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador on April 16 with the aim of meeting with senior officials to mobilize the release of Abrego Garcia - a man Salvador was accidentally deported from the US and is being detained there. However, Vice President El Salvador Felix Ulloa said he could not allow any meetings or contact with the detainee.
According to Van Hollen, Ulloa also affirmed that the reason for not releasing this person was because the US government was paying for the detention of Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.
Abrego Garcia, 29, left El Salvador at the age of 16 to avoid gang violence. His attorney said he was granted a protection order in 2019 to continue residing in the US and has never been charged or convicted of any violation of the law. They also rejected accusations from the US Department of Justice that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 criminal gang.
The US Supreme Court has asked President Donald Trump's administration to create conditions for Abrego Garcia's return, after admitting that his deportation was due to administrative errors.
However, at a meeting with Trump at the White House earlier this week, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele said he had no intention of bringing Abrego Garcia back to the US. Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security said it had no authority to bring him back home.
The El Salvador government has not commented on Mr. Van Hollen's visit. On the White House side, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticized Van Hollen for wasting tax money to " pursue the release of an expelled MS-13 criminal".
In addition to Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of others, mostly Venezuelans, to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
