Advocates and politicians alike are fighting for the safe return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father whom federal courts have unanimously ruled was unlawfully deported and wrongfully imprisoned in El Salvador.
Despite the courts’ rulings, Abrego Garcia remains in the Terrorism Confinement Center just outside of San Salvador.
After federal and a unanimous Supreme Court decision affirmed his deportation as unlawful and required his return, both the Trump administration and the government of El Salvador have chosen not to comply with the order.
“The question is preposterous,” said Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office during a meeting with President Donald Trump (R). “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
U.S. Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has requested an urgent meeting with Bukele during his U.S. visit this week, demanding the release and return of Abrego Garcia.
Van Hollen said that if Abrego Garcia is not returned by midweek, he will travel to El Salvador personally to assess the situation, check on Abrego Garcia’s welfare, and press Salvadoran officials for his release.
“Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia never should have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the administration must bring him home, now,” Van Hollen said. “However, since the Trump administration appears to be ignoring these court mandates, we need to take additional action.”
Abrego Garcia, a Prince George’s County resident, was removed from the U.S. and sent to a Salvadoran prison on March 15, despite holding a federal protection known as “withholding of removal,” which he was granted in 2019. That status barred his deportation and led to his release from immigration custody.
On April 1, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled the deportation illegal and ordered the government to “facilitate” his return by April 7. The Trump administration quickly appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld Xinis’s ruling. The administration then sought a stay from the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Roberts granted a temporary pause, but on April 10, the high court issued a unanimous ruling reinstating Judge Xinis’s order, requiring Abrego Garcia’s immediate return.
Despite the clear legal mandate, the Trump administration has continued to delay action. In a weekend court filing, officials from the Department of Justice confirmed that Abrego Garcia remains held at El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center. The filing, citing Michael G. Kozak of the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, did not outline any steps to comply with the Supreme Court’s order.
Court documents reveal that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acknowledged Abrego Garcia’s deportation was due to an “administrative error.” But even after that admission, the agency failed to act. ICE officials have argued that Abrego Garcia poses a public safety threat and claim he is affiliated with the MS-13 gang. His attorneys reject the allegations, noting that Abrego Garcia has never been charged with a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador.
The alleged gang affiliation, his lawyers argue, is based solely on hearsay from a confidential witness and the fact that Abrego Garcia was wearing a hoodie and a Chicago Bulls cap when he was taken into custody.
The case has sparked growing outrage in Maryland. Over the weekend, protesters rallied outside a Tesla dealership in Owings Mills, condemning a blatant violation of Abrego Garcia’s constitutional and human rights. Organizers said the rallies will continue every Saturday until Abrego Garcia is safely home.
Van Hollen said he met with Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother, and brother, describing their distress as “heartbreaking.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Mr. Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported to a prison in El Salvador,” the senator wrote in a letter addressed to Salvadoran Ambassador Milena Mayorga. “I have met with Mr. Abrego Garcia’s wife, mother, and brother, and, as you can imagine, they are extremely worried about his health, safety, and continued illegal confinement, as am I.”
