Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has met in El Salvador with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant who was deported by the Trump administration due to an administrative error.
Van Hollen shared a photo of his meeting with Abrego Garcia on Thursday that shows the pair sitting down in what appeared to be an outdoor restaurant setting.
Their meeting comes after the vice president of El Salvador, Félix Ulloa, had denied his request to meet with Abrego Garcia, according to the senator, and instead suggested he go through the U.S. embassy to facilitate the visit.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele also published images of their meeting and jokingly pointed out that Garcia was healthy and uninjured.
In a separate post, Bukele stressed that Abrego Garcia would be returned to prison after their meeting.
The senator traveled to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia’s well-being on behalf of his family and to push for his release. Abrego Garcia was living with his wife and child, both U.S. citizens, in Maryland when he was arrested.
The White House said that the case is out of its hands unless El Salvador decides to send Abrego Garcia back to the United States. But Bukele said the notion of returning him was "preposterous."
It is unclear exactly how Van Hollen was finally granted a visit after being rejected the day before.