A man who was wrongly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison has been pictured meeting a US senator after the White House admitted to making an error.
Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic senator for Maryland, was seen in photos meeting Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was detained and deported from the US in March, despite an immigration court order preventing the move.
The politician reportedly passed on a “message of love” from Abrego Garcia to his wife on Thursday.
However, he did not provide an update on the man’s status, whose lawyers are fighting for his return to the US.
Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic senator for Maryland was seen in photos meeting Kilmar Abrego Garcia
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The Trump administration acknowledged that he was deported by mistake, as the US Supreme Court called on the White House to bring him back.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele shared images on X of the meeting, with the caption: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!”
He later added: “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”
A spokeswoman for the President said she had no further information.
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The meeting took place just hours after Van Hollen revealed he had been denied access to a high-security prison in El Salvador on Thursday, where he had hoped to check on Abrego Garcia’s condition and advocate for his release.
Speaking at a news conference in San Salvador, the Democratic senator said his vehicle was stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint roughly 3 kilometres from the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), while other cars were allowed to pass through.
He said: “They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed.”
President Trump and President Bukele both stated this week that there is no justification for returning Abrego Garcia to the United States.
US officials have alleged that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had been living in Maryland, is connected to the MS-13 gang
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While US officials have alleged that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had been living in Maryland, is connected to the MS-13 gang, his legal team argues that the government has failed to present any evidence, and he has never faced charges related to gang activity.
Van Hollen’s visit has sparked political controversy in the US, with Democrats highlighting Abrego Garcia’s deportation as an example of what they describe as a harsh outcome of President Trump’s disregard for judicial orders.
Meanwhile, Republicans have pushed back, defending the deportation as part of a broader strategy to combat crime.
Van Hollen said Abrego Garcia has not been able to contact his family or lawyers, adding: “There has been no ability to find out anything about his health and well-being.”
“We won’t give up until Kilmar has his due process rights respected,” he said.
