Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is now in damage control mode as a Salvadoran illegal alien he once championed, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is being returned to the United States and facing a multi-count human trafficking indictment. On Friday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the illegal immigrant, with ties to the notorious MS-13 gang, would go before a federal judge in Nashville.
Just months ago, Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador, where he was photographed sipping martinis with Abrego Garcia while pressuring officials to release him. Now, with Abrego Garcia under fire for allegedly orchestrating a years-long trafficking operation, Van Hollen’s cozy ties to the accused criminal are raising serious questions about the Democratic Party’s reckless approach to immigration and public safety.
“After months of ignoring our Constitution, it seems the Trump Admin has relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and due process for Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen wrote on X Friday. “This has never been about the man — it’s about his constitutional rights and the rights of all,” the senator added.”
Dubbed by Democrats the “Maryland Man” who was “mistakenly” deported, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed Van Hollen, who previously showed “solidarity" with Abrego Garcia.
“Abrego Garcia will now return to the United States to answer for his crimes and meet the full force of American justice," Leavitt said. "The Democrat lawmakers, namely Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen, and every single so-called ‘journalist’ who defended this illegal criminal abuser must immediately apologize to Garcia’s victims. The Trump Administration will continue to hold criminals accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Leavitt also said the Justice Department’s indictment of Abrego Garcia proves that Democrats and the mainstream media were wrong and were misled.
The indictment claims that the illegal immigrant was a key player in a human smuggling network that operated for almost ten years. Bondi characterized him as a dedicated trafficker who made over 100 trips, moving women, children, and individuals linked to the MS-13 gang across the United States.