Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke to the press after his meeting with El Salvador's Vice President Félix Ulloa about Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
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00:00So I just met with the Vice President of El Salvador. I'm grateful for the meeting.
00:08The President is out of the country at this time.
00:12So I appreciated the chance to talk to the Vice President about the case of Kilmar Abrego García.
00:30And we started the conversation on a point of agreement, which is that our two countries should work together to crack down on transnational gangs like MS-13.
01:00And I told the Vice President that for over two decades, I have worked in my state of Maryland to crack down on MS-13.
01:18And I look forward to further efforts to make sure that we crack down on violent gangs.
01:36I think that's important to underscore because the case of Kilmar Abrego García does not have to do with MS-13.
01:53If you listen to President Trump and the Trump administration, you would think that the U.S. courts have found that Mr. Abrego García is part of MS-13.
02:18But in fact, they have not found that.
02:20In fact, recently, a U.S. federal court judge said that the Trump administration did not have evidence to support the claim that he had ever been part of MS-13.
02:30In fact, Mr. Abrego García is legally in the United States.
02:59In fact, an immigration judge found years ago that it would put his life in danger if he was returned to El Salvador.
03:14And so he was given protective status and a work permit.
03:28And by the way, that was done during the last Trump administration, the last time President Trump was in office.
03:41And they never appealed that decision.
03:52So I want to emphasize that President Trump and our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Vice President of the United States are lying when they say that Abrego García has been charged with a crime or is part of MS-13.
04:09And that is a lie.
04:23And this is a lie to cover up what they did.
04:27So what did they do?
04:28So they illegally abducted Mr. Abrego García from Maryland and sent him to SICA, which is a notorious prison here in El Salvador.
04:51In fact, it's a prison where they say they send the worst of the worst, right?
05:10That's where they send the terrorists.
05:11Now, the courts of the United States have said there's no evidence to support the charge that he's part of MS-13.
05:27So I asked the Vice President whether or not El Salvador has any evidence that he's part of MS-13 or has committed a crime.
05:36So I asked the Vice President if Abrego García has not committed a crime.
06:04And the U.S. courts have found that he was illegally taken for the United States.
06:11And the government of El Salvador has no evidence that he was part of MS-13.
06:18Why is El Salvador continuing to hold him in SICA?
06:22And his answer was that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador,
06:51to keep him at SICA.
06:55And I pointed out that neither the government of El Salvador nor the Trump administration
07:13has presented evidence to support the claim that he's committed any kind of criminal acts.
07:20And so why not release Abrego García today?
07:35And he said what President Bukele said the other day at the White House,
07:49which is that El Salvador can't smuggle Mr. Abrego García into the United States.
07:56And I said I'm not asking him to smuggle Mr. Abrego García in the United States.
08:08I'm simply asking him to open the door of SICA and let this innocent man walk out.
08:14And I pointed out that the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi,
08:30has said that the United States would send a plane to El Salvador to pick him up.
08:35And why did she do that?
08:47Because the Supreme Court of the United States, in a ruling of 9-0,
08:52has said that the Trump administration has to facilitate his return to the United States.
08:57Now, there's no evidence that the Trump administration is complying with that order.
09:17There's no evidence that they are complying with that order.
09:30In fact, the United States Embassy here has told me they've received no direction
09:36from the Trump administration to help facilitate his release.
09:40So, the Trump administration is clearly in violation of American court orders.
10:04But that still leaves the question,
10:06why is the government of El Salvador continuing to imprison a man
10:12where they have no evidence he's committed any crime
10:15and they've not been provided any evidence from the United States that he's committed a crime?
10:32So, they should just let him go.
10:36And they should let him go.
10:39And we will find a way to get him from San Salvador to Maryland, the state of Maryland.
10:53Because I promised his wife, his wife Jennifer,
10:56and his mother and his brother
11:02and their family,
11:05because he has three children.
11:10Some of them have severe disabilities.
11:16I promised them that I would do everything I could
11:19to get him out of CICOT.
11:30And I won't stop trying,
11:32and I can assure the president, the vice president,
11:36that I may be the first United States senator to visit El Salvador
11:40on this issue,
11:41but there will be more,
11:43and there will be more members of Congress coming.
11:45This is an unsustainable and unjust moment,
12:01so it cannot continue this way.
12:03I also told his wife and family
12:11that I would try to meet
12:13with Mr. Abrego Garcia
12:16while I was here.
12:17So I asked the vice president
12:28if I could meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia.
12:36And he said,
12:37well, you need to make earlier provisions
12:40to go visit CICOT.
12:43I said I'm not interested at this moment
12:51in taking a tour of CICOT.
12:53I just want to meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia.
13:07He said he was not able to make that happen.
13:13I asked,
13:16he said he needed a little more time.
13:20I asked him if I came back next week
13:22whether I'd be able to see Mr. Abrego Garcia.
13:30He said he couldn't promise that either.
13:32So I asked him if I could get on the phone,
13:40either a video phone or just a phone,
13:41and talk to Mr. Abrego Garcia.
13:53So I could just ask him how he's doing
13:56so I could report back to his family.
13:58He said he could not arrange that.
14:05He said maybe if the American Embassy were to ask,
14:14maybe that could happen.
14:15So I will certainly ask the American Embassy
14:23to ask the government of El Salvador
14:25to connect us by phone.
14:38I asked him how about his family.
14:40How can he talk to his wife
14:41so that she can hear his voice?
14:50I let him know that the family has requested that.
14:57He said he was not sure
14:58whether he could make that happen.
15:00So we have an unjust situation here.
15:15The Trump administration is lying
15:18about Abrego Garcia.
15:25The American courts have looked at the facts.
15:30In fact, the Trump administration lawyer,
15:37the government lawyer,
15:38admitted to the court
15:39that Mr. Abrego Garcia
15:41had been in administrative error,
15:46that it was a mistake.
15:47But instead of fixing the problem
15:58and addressing that injustice,
16:02do you know what the Trump administration did?
16:10They put that lawyer
16:11who's a 15-year veteran
16:13of the Department of Justice
16:15on administrative leave.
16:17And berated, berated
16:27that lawyer
16:28who told the truth
16:30to the judge.
16:37So I want to just close
16:39by reading you
16:39what the judge said.
16:41This is a federal district court judge
16:42in the District of Maryland.
16:44And I'm quoting from Judge Zinnis here.
16:57As defendants acknowledge,
16:59and the defendants here
17:00are the government
17:01or the Trump administration.
17:02They had no legal authority
17:09to arrest him.
17:13No justification
17:14to detain him.
17:18And no grounds
17:20to send him
17:20to El Salvador.
17:24Let alone
17:25deliver him
17:26into one of the most
17:27dangerous prisons
17:28in the Western
17:29hemisphere.
17:36The judge
17:37went on to say,
17:38and I quote,
17:39having confessed
17:43grievous error,
17:46the defendants,
17:49and again,
17:51that's the government,
17:52that's the Trump administration,
17:53having confessed
17:55grievous error,
17:57they now argue
17:58that this court
17:59lacks the power
18:00to hear
18:01the case.
18:07And that they lack
18:08the power,
18:10the court,
18:10and that the court
18:11lacks the power
18:11to order
18:12Abrego Garcia's
18:13return.
18:19So,
18:20a U.S.
18:21district court judge
18:22has ordered
18:23the Trump administration
18:24to bring him home.
18:34The United States
18:35Supreme Court,
18:36by nine to nothing vote,
18:38has ordered
18:38the administration
18:39to facilitate
18:40his return.
18:42So,
18:47the Trump administration
18:48needs to
18:48obey the law.
18:53But I'm also asking
18:54the government
18:55of El Salvador
18:55and the president
18:57and vice president
18:58of El Salvador
18:58not to keep
19:05a man
19:06who was
19:07illegally
19:08abducted
19:09from the United States
19:11and charged
19:16with no crime
19:17to remain
19:22in SICA
19:23when as a
19:26sovereign country
19:27they have the power
19:28to let him go
19:29and let him go
19:30now.
19:31And I hope
19:37they will.
19:40Are you concerned
19:41whether Mr.
19:41Abrego Garcia
19:42is going to die?
19:42I don't know
19:44about his health status.
19:46That's exactly
19:46why I wanted
19:47to meet with him
19:48directly.
19:50That's why
19:50I wanted
19:51to talk to him
19:52on the phone.
19:52That's why
19:52I want to arrange
19:53a phone call
19:54with his wife.
19:55I mean,
19:55this is a notorious
19:56prison.
19:57And the family,
19:59this is a guy,
20:00again,
20:00he just disappeared
20:01off the streets
20:02of Maryland.
20:03He ends up
20:04in,
20:04I'm sorry.
20:15This is why
20:16I wanted
20:18to see him.
20:19I also want
20:19to say
20:20to everybody
20:20here,
20:20you may know,
20:21in the state
20:22of Maryland
20:23we have
20:23a very
20:24wonderful,
20:25robust
20:25Salvadorian
20:26population.
20:28And they
20:29contribute
20:29greatly
20:30to our state.
20:44Is this
20:46a presentation
20:47from the
20:48administration
20:49to the
20:50United States?
20:52Well,
20:53I'm asking
20:53President
20:54Bukele
20:55to
20:56Okay.
20:59I'm asking
20:59President
21:00Bukele
21:00under his
21:02authority
21:03as
21:04President
21:04of El
21:04Salvador
21:05to do
21:06the right
21:06thing
21:07and
21:08allow
21:09Mr.
21:10Abrego
21:10Garcia
21:10to walk
21:12out of
21:13a prison,
21:13a man
21:14who's
21:14charged
21:15with no
21:15crime,
21:16convicted
21:16of no
21:17crime,
21:17and who
21:18was
21:18illegally
21:18abducted
21:19from
21:19the
21:19United
21:19States.
21:20I'm going
21:37to keep
21:37pressing.
21:38I will keep
21:44pressing in my
21:45remaining time
21:45here and I
21:46will keep
21:46pressing beyond
21:47that if
21:47necessary.
21:48Well I would say
22:17that as a member
22:19of Congress
22:20we'd like to
22:21work to have
22:22good relations
22:23between the
22:25people of the
22:25United States
22:26and the
22:26people of
22:28El Salvador.
22:28and
22:29that's why
22:39we need to
22:40make sure
22:41that we keep
22:42working to
22:43secure justice
22:44because Congress
22:45has a very
22:47important role
22:47to play
22:48in the
22:49relationship
22:49between
22:50the United
22:50States
22:51and the
22:52people of
22:52El Salvador.
22:52And so
23:03you know
23:04for example
23:05the Trump
23:06administration
23:07is reportedly
23:08going to
23:09pay the
23:10government
23:10of El Salvador
23:11up to
23:1215 million
23:13dollars
23:13to
23:14house
23:16people sent
23:18from the
23:19United States.
23:1915 million
23:2115 million
23:22And you know
23:37I don't think
23:39there are going
23:40to be a lot
23:40of members
23:41of Congress
23:41that will
23:43clearly be
23:44unwilling
23:44to spend
23:45money
23:46to
23:47keep
23:48people
23:48like
23:49Kilmar
23:49Garcia
23:50in
23:51CICOT
23:51because
23:52again
23:52he was
23:53illegally
23:53abducted
23:54from the
23:54United
23:54States
23:54and
23:55charged
23:56with
23:56no
23:56crime.
23:57So
23:57why
23:58should
24:09the taxpayers
24:09the United
24:10States
24:10pay the
24:11government
24:12of El Salvador
24:13to lock
24:16up a man
24:17who was
24:17illegally
24:18abducted
24:19from the
24:19United States
24:20and committed
24:20no crime?
24:34Thank you
24:35all very much.
24:35Gracias.