Staff Reports
Senator Chris Van Hollen’s recent trip to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia has once again highlighted the troubling priorities of Democratic leadership. Instead of focusing on the safety and well-being of American citizens, Van Hollen chose to champion the cause of a man deported for entering the country illegally and allegedly having ties to the notorious MS-13 gang. While the courts have debated the technicalities of Abrego Garcia’s deportation, the senator’s willingness to go to such lengths for a non-citizen, while families in Maryland still grieve the loss of loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants, raises serious questions about who he truly represents.
The facts are clear: Kilmar Abrego Garcia unlawfully entered the United States in 2012 and was later apprehended in Maryland, where police identified him as an MS-13 affiliate. While his legal team disputes these claims and he has not been convicted of any crime, the White House and law enforcement have maintained that his deportation was justified based on public safety concerns. Yet, Van Hollen ignored these warnings and traveled to El Salvador, meeting with Abrego Garcia and lobbying for his return, despite the Supreme Court’s involvement and the Salvadoran president’s refusal to release him.
This episode is emblematic of a broader problem with the current Democratic approach to immigration: a willingness to put the interests of non-citizens, even those with questionable backgrounds, ahead of the safety and security of American families. While Van Hollen was making headlines in Central America, Marylanders like the families of Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton—victims of violent crimes at the hands of illegal immigrants—were left without the same level of advocacy or public support from their elected officials. The message sent is unmistakable: political grandstanding for progressive causes takes precedence over addressing the real and tragic consequences of lax border enforcement.
The Trump administration, for its part, has stood firm, defending the deportation and emphasizing the need to prioritize law-abiding citizens. President Trump and his officials have made it clear that the administration’s focus is on protecting Americans and restoring order to an overwhelmed immigration system. The White House’s condemnation of Van Hollen’s actions as “disgusting” reflects the frustration many Americans feel as they watch politicians expend more energy on controversial deportation cases than on the crime and disorder plaguing their own communities.
Ultimately, Senator Van Hollen’s El Salvador escapade is a stark reminder of the misplaced priorities that have come to define the Democratic Party’s immigration agenda. Instead of advocating for the return of individuals who have no legal right to be in the United States, our leaders should be working to secure the border, uphold the rule of law, and support the families who have suffered due to the failures of our immigration system. Marylanders—and all Americans—deserve representatives who put their safety and interests first.
