Maryland Senator Says El Salvador Denied Him Meeting, Phone Call With Deported Man

‘Why is the government of El Salvador continuing to imprison a man [where] they have no evidence he’s committed any crime?’ Van Hollen asked.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) speaks during a press conference at a city viewpoint in Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador, on April 16, 2025. Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on April 16 that the government of El Salvador has denied him a meeting or phone call with a Salvadoran national the Trump administration mistakenly deported to a maximum security prison in the Central American nation.

While speaking with reporters in El Salvador after meeting with the country’s vice president, Félix Ulloa, Van Hollen said he was not allowed to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant granted humanitarian protection by the United States, or talk with him over the phone.