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CBS News Live
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen returned from his travel to El Salvador Friday aft meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the antheral who was deported owed to an administrative error.
Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador connected Wednesday, April 16, to cheque connected Abrego Garcia's wellness and well-being, a period aft helium was deported to a Salvadoran supermax prison. Van Hollen says CECOT near Garcia traumatized.
"His speech with maine was the archetypal connection that helium had with anybody extracurricular of situation since helium was abducted. He said helium felt precise bittersweet astir being successful a situation due to the fact that helium had not committed immoderate crimes," Van Hollen said.
However, helium said, Garcia has been moved to different situation wherever helium says the conditions are better.
"He told me, and this was yesterday, 8 days ago, truthful 9 days agone from today, helium was moved to different detention halfway successful Santa Ana, wherever the conditions are better. But helium said, contempt the amended conditions, helium inactive has nary entree to immoderate quality from the extracurricular satellite and nary quality to pass with anybody successful the extracurricular world," Van Hollen said.
Albrego Garcia was "traumatized" astatine CECOT, Van Hollen says
Van Hollen said helium asked Albrego Garcia however helium was dealing with his circumstances.
"He said that reasoning of you, members of his family, is what gave him past to persevere, to support going time to day, adjacent nether these atrocious circumstances," Van Hollen recounted.
During their conversation, Albrego Garcia described his acquisition successful CECOT.
Albrego Garcia said that aft helium was detained by ICE officials, helium was taken to a Baltimore detention center, and past moved again to different installation successful Texas.
"I don't cognize whether it was play hours oregon days, helium was handcuffed, shackled, and enactment connected a plane, on with immoderate others, wherever they couldn't spot retired of the windows. There was nary mode to spot wherever they were going successful the plane, they didn't cognize for definite wherever they were going. They landed successful El Salvador," Van Hollen said.
After arriving astatine the prison, Albrego Garcia was placed successful a compartment with astir 25 different prisoners.
"He was traumatized by being astatine CECOT and fearful of galore of the prisoners successful different compartment blocks who called retired to him and taunted him successful assorted ways, helium told me," Van Hollen said.
Van Hollen meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia
During his trip, Van Hollen initially faced challenges erstwhile trying to coordinate a gathering with Abrego Garcia, arsenic helium remains successful custody astatine the country's Terrorism Confinement Center, oregon CECOT.
On the archetypal time of his trip, the legislator met with Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa, who denied Van Hollen's request for a gathering oregon telephone telephone with Abrego Garcia.
"When I met with the vice president of El Salvador, I asked him not to beryllium complicit successful the Trump administration's law-breaking successful the United States of America and to merchandise Mr. Abrego Garcia," Van Hollen said during a quality conference.
On Thursday morning, Van Hollen said helium had been turned distant from a subject checkpoint near CECOT by soldiers who had been ordered not to fto him proceed.
However, connected Thursday evening, the legislator confirmed he met with Abrego Garcia, sharing a photograph of their gathering astatine what appeared to beryllium a restaurant.
"I person called his wife, Jennifer, to walk on his connection of love," Van Hollen said successful a societal media post.
The president of El Salvador Nayib Bukele shared photos of the meeting as well, saying Abrego Garcia, "gets the grant of staying successful El Salvador's custody."
Senator Van Hollen antecedently expressed that the extremity of his travel was to cheque connected Abrego Garcia's wellness and well-being.
Abrego Garcia's deportation
Abrego Garcia is an El Salvador autochthonal who entered the U.S. illegally successful 2011.
He was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents successful March arsenic helium was leaving his occupation successful Baltimore.
He and astir 200 different migrants were transported to CECOT successful El Salvador by level astatine the absorption of the Trump administration.
His deportation sparked a ineligible conflict arsenic helium was nether a extortion bid granted by an migration justice successful 2019. The "withholding of removal" bid should person prevented him from being deported to El Salvador.
ICE officials admitted successful a tribunal filing that Abrego Garcia's deportation occurred due to the fact that of an administrative error, though they did not determination to close the mistake.
The ineligible proceedings are inactive playing retired successful national tribunal aft the Trump medication was ordered by a national justice and aboriginal by the Supreme Court to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S.
Abrego Garcia does not person a transgression history.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's alleged MS-13 ties
The Trump medication continues to assertion that Abrego Garcia is simply a subordinate of the transnational MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia's lawyer and household person denied the allegations.
"They are trying to marque this lawsuit each astir MS-13, erstwhile successful fact, the justice successful the lawsuit has said they person not provided important oregon immoderate important grounds to backmost up their claim," Van Hollen said Thursday.
The allegations of Abrego Garcia's transportation to MS-13 stem from his apprehension successful 2019. Court documents amusement that Abrego Garcia was arrested extracurricular of a Home Depot with 3 different men, astatine slightest 2 of whom had suspected pack ties.
According to his attorney, Abrego Garcia was soliciting enactment extracurricular of the store erstwhile constabulary showed up and began questioning the men astir pack affiliations.
According to the court documents shared by Attorney General Pam Bondi, a detective recognized 1 of the men successful the radical arsenic an MS-13 pack subordinate with a transgression history.
Detectives indicated successful their study that a 2nd antheral had tattoos that were "indicative of the Hispanic pack culture."
After interviewing Abrego Garcia, constabulary noted that helium was wearing a Chicago Bulls chapeau and hoodie with symbols that they said were besides indicative of pack culture. A root constabulary had antecedently utilized besides reported that Abrego Garcia was an progressive MS-13 member, according to tribunal documents.
He was subsequently arrested and helium aboriginal appeared successful court, wherever a U.S. migration justice granted him the "withholding of removal" bid and a enactment permit.
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