The story begins like many others swept up in the chaos of mass deportations, except this one involves a man the U.S. Supreme Court ruled should never have been deported at all.
Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, a Maryland husband and father, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month amid a wave of removals authorized by the Trump administration under an archaic law last used during World War II.
More than 250 people have reportedly been sent to El Salvador’s notorious Center for Terrorism Confinement, better known as CECOT, a facility branded the “world’s worst prison” due to its inhumane conditions and controversial methods.
But Ábrego García isn’t a criminal. In fact, U.S. courts ruled that there was no evidence linking him to any crime or gang activity, including MS-13, the reason cited for many of the recent deportations.
The Supreme Court even ordered his return, mandating that the administration “facilitate” his release and bring him home. Yet, weeks later, he remains behind bars in El Salvador, and now, a U.S. senator claims to know why.
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to meet with the detained man but was denied access by Vice President Félix Ulloa. Not only was he prevented from visiting Ábrego García, but he was also refused a simple phone or video call.
Calling the situation “unjust,” Van Hollen told reporters:
“The courts of the United States have said there’s no evidence to support the charge that [Ábrego García] is part of MS-13, so I asked the vice president whether or not El Salvador has any evidence that he’s part of MS-13 or has committed a crime.”
He says the answer left him stunned.
“The Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at CECOT”
Van Hollen alleged, referring to a direct statement from the Salvadoran vice president.
The senator continued pressing for answers, stating:
“I pointed out that neither the government of El Salvador nor the Trump administration has presented evidence to support the claim that he’s committed any sort of criminal act. So why not release him today?”
Instead of an explanation, Van Hollen was reportedly met with excuses, including the suggestion that El Salvador couldn’t simply “smuggle” Ábrego García back into the U.S.
“I’m not asking them to smuggle him in,” Van Hollen clarified. “I’m simply asking them to open the door and let an innocent man walk out.”
According to the senator, even U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the U.S. is ready to send a plane to bring him back, yet the Trump administration continues to drag its feet.
In a viral tweet, journalist Ed Krassenstein echoed Van Hollen’s claims, writing:
“BREAKING: Senator @ChrisVanHollen just met with El Salvador’s Vice President Félix Ulloa, and get this… The VP told Van Hollen that the reason they are holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia at CECOT is because the Trump administration is paying them to do so.”
To make matters worse, Van Hollen revealed that the U.S. embassy in El Salvador has received no directive from Washington to assist in the release, suggesting a deliberate stalling by U.S. officials.
“The Trump administration is clearly in violation of American court orders,” Van Hollen concluded. “But that still leaves the question — why is the government of El Salvador continuing to imprison a man where they have no evidence he’s committed any crime and they’ve not been provided any evidence from the United States that he’s committed a crime?”
With bipartisan scrutiny mounting and public outrage growing, the spotlight is now firmly fixed on both governments.
The longer Kilmar Ábrego García remains unjustly imprisoned, the louder the question becomes: is justice being sold to the highest bidder?
Featured Image Credit: (Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times)(Alex Wong/Getty Images)(@CNN via Youtube)
