Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressed joy over the safe return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported and held in El Salvador’s CECOT prison. Van Hollen described it as a significant win for justice and the rule of law. The Trump administration persisted with the deportation, alleging that Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally from El Salvador in 2011 but was granted protection from being sent back, had ties to gangs. His legal team refuted these claims and pushed for his repatriation to the U.S.
After a lengthy legal battle led by Attorney General Pam Bondi contesting Abrego Garcia’s return, it was announced on Friday that he had been brought back to U.S. territory to face charges stemming from a 2022 traffic incident in Tennessee. Van Hollen commended this outcome as a triumph for due process and the Constitution, emphasizing that the delay was unnecessary, with the Trump administration disregarding a unanimous Supreme Court directive.
Van Hollen visited Abrego Garcia during his detention abroad to ensure his well-being and advocate for his release from Salvadoran custody, initially deemed improbable by White House officials. Reflecting on the upcoming legal proceedings, Van Hollen criticized the fact that the legal battle should have been initiated prior to Abrego Garcia’s deportation, emphasizing the importance of upholding due process rights.
Abrego Garcia’s attorney criticized the forthcoming criminal case as an act of persecution and claimed that the government had misled the court. The attorney argued that due process entails the right to defend oneself before facing punishment, not after. The attorney expressed the need for the case to be heard by the same immigration judge who handled Abrego Garcia’s case in 2019, as mandated by the Supreme Court.
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