Press Release: Senator Van Hollen Advocates for Deportee’s Release Following Traumatic Experience in El Salvador
Senator Chris Van Hollen addressed the media upon his return from El Salvador, where he visited Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported by the Trump administration. During their meeting, Abrego Garcia revealed the trauma he endured while imprisoned in a maximum-security facility known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
Senator Van Hollen reported that Abrego Garcia had been moved nine days earlier to a lower-security facility in Santa Ana, where conditions were reportedly improved, though he remained in complete isolation without any means of communication with the outside world. "He is in a total blackout," Van Hollen stated, emphasizing the dire situation faced by Abrego Garcia.
In CECOT, Abrego Garcia, who spent nearly three weeks there, expressed that while he felt safe from immediate threats within his cell, he was deeply affected by the hostile environment. He recounted being taunted by prisoners from other cell blocks, heightening his sense of fear.
Van Hollen described Abrego Garcia’s harrowing ordeal, which began with his arrest in Baltimore. After requesting to make a phone call but being denied, he was transferred through various detention facilities in Texas before being forcibly deported. He was shackled and transported on a plane with blacked-out windows alongside other deportees.
The Senator’s efforts aim to highlight the systemic issues surrounding wrongful deportations and the urgent need for reform to protect individuals like Abrego Garcia from such traumatic experiences. As Van Hollen continues to advocate for his release, the case draws attention to the broader implications of immigration policies and their human cost.
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