Van Hollen
Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen confirmed on Sunday that hardworking American taxpayers funded his trip to El Salvador so he could meet with an alleged MS-13 gang member currently held at the CECOT prison.
Last week Van Hollen met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a wife beater and alleged MS-13 gang banger who was deported for illegally residing in Maryland – and YOU paid for his political stunt.
Fox News anchor Shannon Bream asked Van Hollen, “Who did pay for this trip?”
“This was an officially cleared congressional trip – cleared on a bipartisan basis,” Van Hollen said.
“So taxpayer dollars?” Shannon Bream asked.
“Yes, like every other trip,” Van Hollen said.
WATCH:
@ChrisVanHollen confirms taxpayers paid for him to fly to El Salvador and sip margaritas with a deported illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member pic.twitter.com/xByXzeRoYi
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 20, 2025
On Wednesday, the corrupt Maryland Senator flew all the way to El Salvador for a photo op in his fight to smuggle deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the US.
“I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen said.
“I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home,” he added.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is now home in his native country of El Salvador and Van Hollen tried to actually take him out of his home country and smuggle him over the US border.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is an El Salvadorian national who was illegally residing in Maryland. In 2019, an immigration judge ordered Abrego Garcia, an alleged member of the dangerous MS-13 gang, removed from the US. Additionally, an immigration appellate court also upheld the immigration judge’s decision. Abrego Garcia was given ‘due process.’
But this wasn’t good enough for Van Hollen.
On Thursday, after he was denied entry into the CECOT prison, Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia.
“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return,” Van Hollen said alongside a photo of the two sitting down for coffee.
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. pic.twitter.com/U9y2gZpxCb
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 18, 2025
El Salvador’s Bukele mocked Van Hollen and posted of a photo of him enjoying margaritas with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” Bukele said on X.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador! pic.twitter.com/r6VWc6Fjtn
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 18, 2025
On Friday, Van Hollen accused El Salvador’s government of planting the drinks.
“About Margaritagate, I don’t know if you guys are following this or not but President Bukele, after I met with Kilmar, did this tweet showing us at a table with these two glasses – so, here’s what happened…when I first sat down with Kilmar we had glasses of water on the table and as we were talking one of the government people came over and deposited two other glasses on the table with ice – and I don’t know if it’s salt or sugar around the top but they look like margaritas,” Van Hollen said accusing the El Salvadoran government of a conspiracy to frame him.
“Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us and if you want to play a little Sherlock Homes …nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or what it is…this is the lesson in the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people about what’s going on,” Van Hollen said before he trashed Trump.
