BREAKING: The United States is Paying El Salvador to House Kilmar Abrego Garcia

“This is a lie to cover up what they did.”

In a stunning development, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) confirmed today that the United States government is paying the government of El Salvador to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the country’s notorious CECOT prison—despite the fact that he has not been charged with any crime, and there is no evidence linking him to MS-13.

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In remarks to reporters after meeting with officials in San Salvador, Van Hollen said he directly asked the Vice President of El Salvador why Garcia remains imprisoned. The response: the Trump administration is funding his continued detention.

“His answer was that the Trump administration is paying the government of El Salvador to keep him at CECOT,” Van Hollen said.

The Senator, who traveled to El Salvador after a federal judge ordered an urgent two-week inquiry into the government’s refusal to comply with court orders in the case, did not mince words:

“The Trump Administration illegally abducted Kilmar Abrego Garcia from Maryland. This is a lie to cover up what they did.”

“No Evidence. No Charges. No Contact.”

Van Hollen says he asked El Salvador’s Vice President why Abrego Garcia had not yet been released.

“Why is El Salvador continuing to hold him in the prison?” he asked.

The Vice President’s reply, according to Van Hollen: “El Salvador can’t smuggle Mr. Abrego Garcia into the United States.”

That comment comes amid growing frustration from federal judges, plaintiffs, and lawmakers about the administration’s ongoing defiance of court orders. According to Van Hollen, there is “no evidence” the U.S. is complying with the court’s directive to facilitate Garcia’s return. The embassy has received no information about arrangements for his release, and even Van Hollen himself—one of the most senior Democratic voices on foreign policy—was blocked from visiting Garcia or speaking with him by phone.

Officials in El Salvador told the Senator that a phone call might be facilitated if the U.S. Embassy requested it—but they were “not sure” whether even that could happen.

“He Was Disappeared Off the Streets of Maryland”

Garcia, a Maryland resident, was wrongfully deported under the Trump administration's expanded Alien Enemies Act enforcement. Federal judges have since ruled that his removal was illegal, and ordered the U.S. to facilitate his return. But Van Hollen said plainly that the administration “is clearly in violation of the court order.”

“He was disappeared off the streets of Maryland,” Van Hollen said, adding that he still has no information about Garcia’s current condition, health, or safety inside the CECOT prison, which has been condemned internationally for alleged human rights abuses.

“I May Be the First Senator—But I Won’t Be the Last”

Van Hollen says this moment is “unsustainable,” and he vowed that others in Congress would follow. A delegation request from Reps. Robert Garcia and Maxwell Frost is already in motion. Judge Xinis has authorized depositions of key officials by April 23 as contempt proceedings escalate in federal court.

In the meantime, the U.S. is literally funding the indefinite, extrajudicial imprisonment of Garcia in a foreign country—with no charges, no due process, and no access to his family.

As Van Hollen said, this isn’t just about one man—it’s about the integrity of U.S. law, the separation of powers, and whether the executive branch can lie to the courts and get away with it.

“The Trump Administration is lying about Abrego Garcia.”

This story is developing.