Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen meets Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man wrongly deported to El Salvador by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump, at a location given as El Salvador, in this image released April 17, 2025. Senator Chris Van Hollen via X/Handout via REUTERS
Ailia Zehra
April 18, 2025
ALTERNET
When Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) received applause Thursday after he succeeded in meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele was quick to share photos from Van Hollen's meeting with Garcia.
"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the 'death camps' & 'torture', now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador," Bukele wrote.
But a New York Times report published Friday said an aide to the El Salvador president placed two glasses with cherries and salted rims on the table in front of Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia during their meeting to stage the photo and use it to reject reports regarding mistreatment of prisoners in Salvadoran jails.
The photos showed Abrego Garcia and the Maryland Democrat sitting at a table in a dining space surrounded by vibrant greenery, as well as greeting one another on the gleaming floor of the hotel lobby.
Earlier, Van Hollen was prevented from visiting Abrego Garcia by Salvadoran military officials, who he claimed were trying to obstruct his trip to the prison. "This is about bringing home a man they ADMIT should've never been abducted. I won't rest until then," he said.
Prisons in El Salvador are said to be overcrowded where instances of torture are well-documented. "This mass incarceration has aggravated historically poor conditions in detention, including extreme overcrowding, violence, and poor access to goods and services essential to rights, such as food, drinking water, and health care," said a Human Rights Watch report released in 2022.
Meanwhile, American political commentators reacted to the Salvadoran president's X post, saying he "caved" to pressure. Earlier this week, Bukele had vowed not to return the deported man to the United States during his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. Many said that Van Hollen's success in meeting with Abrego Garcia indicates that the backlash against the Maryland man's wrongful deportation was effective.
'You caved': El Salvador president ripped for posting photos from US Senator’s meeting
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on February 25, 2025
When Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) received applause Thursday after he succeeded in meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele was quick to share photos from Van Hollen's meeting with Garcia.
"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the 'death camps' & 'torture', now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador," Bukele wrote.
But a New York Times report published Friday said an aide to the El Salvador president placed two glasses with cherries and salted rims on the table in front of Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia during their meeting to stage the photo and use it to reject reports regarding mistreatment of prisoners in Salvadoran jails.
The photos showed Abrego Garcia and the Maryland Democrat sitting at a table in a dining space surrounded by vibrant greenery, as well as greeting one another on the gleaming floor of the hotel lobby.
Earlier, Van Hollen was prevented from visiting Abrego Garcia by Salvadoran military officials, who he claimed were trying to obstruct his trip to the prison. "This is about bringing home a man they ADMIT should've never been abducted. I won't rest until then," he said.
Prisons in El Salvador are said to be overcrowded where instances of torture are well-documented. "This mass incarceration has aggravated historically poor conditions in detention, including extreme overcrowding, violence, and poor access to goods and services essential to rights, such as food, drinking water, and health care," said a Human Rights Watch report released in 2022.
Meanwhile, American political commentators reacted to the Salvadoran president's X post, saying he "caved" to pressure. Earlier this week, Bukele had vowed not to return the deported man to the United States during his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump. Many said that Van Hollen's success in meeting with Abrego Garcia indicates that the backlash against the Maryland man's wrongful deportation was effective.
'You caved': El Salvador president ripped for posting photos from US Senator’s meeting
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on February 25, 2025
(Casa Presidencial El Salvador/Flickr)
Ailia Zehra
Ailia Zehra
April 18, 2025
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) received applause Thursday after he succeeded in meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador who has become the face of the Trump administration's mass deportation drive. But El Salvador President Nayib Bukele used the opportunity to denounce critics.
Bukele was quick to share photos from Van Hollen's meeting with Garcia on the social platform X, saying, "Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the 'death camps' & 'torture', now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!"
American political commentators reacted to the Salvadoran president's post, saying he "caved" to pressure. Earlier this week, Bukele had vowed not to return the deported man to the United States during his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump.
ALSO READ: Senator gives ultimatum to El Salvador’s government in case of wrongfully deported man
MSNBC contributor Rotimi Adeoye wrote, "You caved lol please wear a suit next time you enter our oval office, thanks."
Political commentator Krystal Ball said, "That Bukele was pressured into doing this is so important. It is a significant step towards making sure the Trump regime will not just be able to endlessly disappear people into foreign prisons. Please keep up the pressure!!!"
The Atlantic writer Tyler Harper shared a video clip from Van Hollen from a news conference he addressed in El Salvador, saying, "It’s hard not to find this image — of a single Democratic senator standing alone in some empty room in a foreign country and defending the rule of law — very moving."
"There should have been more senators there with him, but kudos to Van Hollen," he added.
Others echoed this view, noting that Van Hollen took action instead of merely issuing statements.
Karthik Soora, a Democratic politician from Texas, wrote, "I loved Booker’s filibuster, but Van Hollen demonstrated more clearly than anyone what the difference between action and performance is."
On Wednesday, Van Hollen flew to El Salvador and said the main goal of his trip was to meet with Abrego Garcia. "Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return," he said in a post on X announcing he succeeded in meeting with Abrego Garcia.
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