Senator Denied Access to Controversial El Salvador Prison Holding U.S. Detainee

Senator Chris Van Hollen's attempt to visit Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia in El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center was thwarted by military personnel. Instead, they met in a hotel, raising concerns about detainee conditions and the U.S. deportation policy.

When Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing Maryland, sought to visit Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia at a problematic detention facility in El Salvador, military personnel barred his entry. The senator, instead, met with Garcia at a hotel restaurant in San Salvador. Garcia, who had been wrongfully deported from Maryland, is embroiled in a complex legal dispute involving the Trump administration.

The meeting attracted attention as President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador publicized the event on social media, suggesting that Garcia was now enjoying a leisurely moment in El Salvador. However, Van Hollen clarified that their meeting did not include any drinks.

Garcia had been held at the Terrorism Confinement Center, a facility designed as a low-security rehab space funded partly by the U.S., yet transformed into a high-security "megaprison" under Bukele’s administration. This center is a component of the country's extensive gang crackdown. The situation continues to illuminate the intersection of U.S. foreign policy and domestic treatment of deportees, raising serious questions about human rights and legal protections.