On Thursday, Senator Chris Van Hollen joined with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) at a press conference on the Capitol grounds to discuss their legislation requiring the Trump Administration to detail their steps to comply with current court orders regarding the return of citizens wrongfully deported to El Salvador.
In particular, the Senator addressed the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia who was abducted off the streets of Baltimore and sent to Centro Industrial prison in Santa Ana without due process.
The Senators are mounting privileged legislation to pursue freedom for Abrego Garcia. This legislation allows them to bypass some of the usual procedures. It can offer expedited consideration, limited debate and protection from some procedural challenges.
On Friday body camera video from the Tennessee State Police surfaced on YouTube. It shows a traffic stop of Abrego Garcia for speeding. He was driving an oversized van filled with 7 passengers. On the video the troopers say they suspect the occupants are victims of human trafficking. But beyond a traffic ticket for exceeding the speed limit, no other charges were filed.
In response to a question about Abrego Garcia’s communication with the outside world, the Senator revealed he has been the only person to speak with the prisoner since his abduction. Prior to that no one from his family – his wife or his mother – or his lawyer had spoken to him. And since that in-person meeting last month, no one has spoken with Abrego Garcia since. Van Hollen pointed out that this is a violation of international law.
