Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said he was denied access to a high-security prison in El Salvador on Thursday as he attempted to check on the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member deported from the United States under the Trump administration.
Speaking at a press conference in San Salvador, Van Hollen explained that his vehicle was stopped by Salvadoran soldiers about three kilometers from the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), the notorious prison where Abrego Garcia is being held. Although other cars were allowed to pass, his was singled out and turned away.
“They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed,” Van Hollen stated, calling the refusal a deliberate attempt to block oversight of a controversial deportation.
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who had been living in Maryland, was deported in March by the Trump administration, despite a standing immigration court order prohibiting his removal.
Trump officials have claimed that Abrego Garcia has ties to the MS-13 gang, a charge his attorneys vigorously deny, stating that the government has produced no evidence and that he has never faced criminal charges for any gang-related activity. The case has become a