Once again, Democrats are on the wrong side of the biggest story in the country. This time, it’s Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen who is starring in the clown show after he flew down to El Salvador on Wednesday in a blatant publicity stunt to capitalize on progressive outrage over the deportation of suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
The case of Abrego Garcia has become a flashpoint in the battle of public opinion over President Donald Trump’s efforts to carry out the “largest mass deportation program in American history.” On March 12, immigration authorities detained the 29-year-old Abrego Garcia at his residence in Maryland and then deported him to his home country of El Salvador, where he is currently being held in prison.
The Trump administration alleges that Abrego Garcia has ties to MS-13, a violent international gang that gained a stronger foothold in the United States during the Biden administration.
Democrats (along with a predictably supportive corporate media) have set out to cast Abrego Garcia as an innocent victim, claiming that he has no gang affiliations and demanding that he be returned to the United States. Sympathetic news stories have described Abrego Garcia, who entered the country illegally, as a “Maryland man,” devoted husband, and loving father who was “wrongly deported.”
That narrative is notably already beginning to fall apart, as the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Abrego Garcia “has a history of violence and was not the upstanding ‘Maryland Man’ the media has portrayed him as.” The Department of Justice has also released evidence that Abrego Garcia was hanging around with multiple confirmed MS-13 members when he was arrested and wearing clothing affiliated with the gang.
As for the “wrongly deported” charge, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has confirmed that court filings suggesting Abrego Garcia’s deportation was an “administrative error” were themselves erroneous, written by “a DOJ lawyer who has since been relieved of duty, a saboteur, a Democrat.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed that Abrego Garcia had a lawful deportation order against him. This means that even if he were returned to the United States, as Democrats wish, he would immediately be detained and deported right back to El Salvador.
Democrats have also pointed to a 2019 court order that appears to protect Abrego Garcia from deportation to El Salvador over claims that he was in fear for his life from the 18th Street gang, a rival of MS-13. But as Leavitt pointed out, thanks to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, the 18th Street gang no longer exists in El Salvador. Moreover, Trump’s designation of MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization automatically makes Abrego Garcia ineligible for protected status.
As Miller succinctly put it, Abrego Garcia’s “only options in life are to be deported to El Salvador or to be deported to some other country. That’s it.”
But the facts haven’t stopped Van Hollen from seizing on this story to grab some attention for himself. The second-term senator, who normally doesn’t make many headlines, has become the talk of Washington this week, culminating in a trip to San Salvador on Wednesday to ostensibly spring Abrego Garcia from prison and bring him back to the United States.
The trip made for a bizarre spectacle, as Van Hollen demanded to speak with both Bukele and Abrego Garcia, whom he kept referring to as his “constituent.” Those demands were quickly denied. Instead, Van Hollen settled for Vice President Félix Ulloa, who explained (correctly) to the American politician that Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador, not the United States.
It’s worth taking a moment to consider what exactly Van Hollen hoped to accomplish through the trip. There are two distinct possibilities, neither reflecting well on Van Hollen or the Democratic Party he represents.
First, Van Hollen could have legitimately expected that his mere presence in El Salvador, where he has absolutely no authority, would coerce Bukele into releasing Abrego Garcia and presumably taking some action to illegally smuggle him back to Maryland. If this is the case, Van Hollen is either incredibly arrogant or delusional, or both.
Second, and more likely, Van Hollen could have viewed this as an opportunity to score points with his far-left base by making a big show of rushing to Dulles airport, possibly on the taxpayers’ dime, to fly to a foreign country and generate some media buzz.
But while all of this was occurring, Van Hollen, his Democrat colleagues, and the corporate media callously ignored an actual U.S. citizen and Maryland resident who is far more deserving of sympathy: Rachel Morin, who was brutally raped and slaughtered by an illegal alien. On Monday, a jury convicted Victor Martinez-Hernandez from (you guessed it) El Salvador of the crime. While Van Hollen has worked himself into a frenzy over the Trump administration deporting an illegal alien and suspected terrorist, he has said nothing about Morin’s murder.
Morin’s mother, Patty, was at the White House on Wednesday to describe in gruesome detail what happened to her daughter and blast the media and Democrats for ignoring it.
“Victor Martinez, he waited for her,” Morin said. “He waited for her to come closer. He saw her. He saw that there was nobody around. He attacked her. He dragged her 150 feet, blood gushing from her head. It left 150-foot trail of her blood to the culverts, where he took – he picked her up, he threw her against the wall of the tunnel, and he raped her. But before he did that, he stopped on that trail and rocks, still stained with her blood – he used them to hammer her head against those rocks, they say, 20 – at least 20 times. They could count the cuts in her head.”
“And to have a senator from Maryland who didn’t even acknowledge or barely acknowledged my daughter and the brutal death that she endured, leaving her five children without a mother and now a grandbaby without a grandmother, so that he can use my taxpayer money to fly to El Salvador to bring back someone that’s not even an American citizen. Why does that person have more of a right than I do, or my daughter, or my grandchildren? I don’t understand this.”
Patty Morin’s heartbreaking remarks contained the pain of every American who has been victimized by Democrat open borders policies – and the outrage of every American who is fed up with liberal politicians who put the interests of illegal aliens ahead of the American people.
Democrats felt that outrage at the ballot box last year. But if Van Hollen’s antics are any indication, they haven’t learned their lesson.
Shane Harris is the Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline. You can follow him on X @shaneharris513.
THE GREATEST threat to our Republic is the corporate media that shelters and protects those they favor and slander and lie about those they don’t.
He had BETTER reimburse (or not charge) the taxpayers for this ridiculous trip!! He implied more Congress members would be down in El Salvador. Bukele needs to bar them from entering HIS country! Congress does NOT control foreign policy. Grr, I’m really pissed off. Patti Morin’s presser yesterday was amazing, made me cry, I hope she is going on a tour of the US and speaking out anywhere she can!!! Get the other angel Mom’s on board!! His “antics” were shameful and bordering on a violation of US law.
WHAT DONT THOSE MORONS UNDERSTAND HE IN THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY! HE
SHOULD PAY FOR THE TRIP OUT OF HIS POCKET INSTEAD OF YOURS AND MINE!
To further.prove that the.main stream media does.the.bidding of the democrats, none of them reported on the trial of.Rachel Morans killer nor.did they televise Rachel’s mothers statement from the White House yesterday describing the utter brutality of her killing.
Notice to GAO: Send Invoice for the FULL COST of this debacle to the Democratic National Committee. The US taxpayers should not be obligated to spend ONE CENT on this failed publicity stunt!!
My lifelong staunch Democrat union buddies are so disgusted with the Democrats they just can’t believe how the Dems are so out of touch they are with the American public on every issue. They voted for Trump and don’t see themselves ever going back to the Dems.
MS-13 gang is one of the meanest gangs on the Earth Democrats support them and they give the fingers to American middle class. Remember that next time you vote
He probably got the same result when he and other Democrats flew to Gaza to get kidnapped Americans returned to the US…Oh Wait! They NEVER even thought of flying to Gaza to get a LEGAL US citizen returned.
If this trip was paid for by the taxpayers, he should be brought up on charges of misuse of public funds.
Still wondering why your party lost. It’s because your party forgot who they represent. IMO
It was a pr stunt that failed and I hope his tail gets kicked to the curb for ignoring his own voters and this horrendous crime. What a jerk he is on all levels of humanity
We have hostages in Gaza, in Russia, in Iran and other various places around the globe. Why can’t these gutless losers throw their condemnation on the side of American citizens that really matter.I have Tejanos friends that would pay to send Hispanic gang members to El Salvador just to get some peace of mind…Just goes to show than not all Dems are criminals but that all criminals are Democrats…
Only a dem would run to another country in support of a “non-US” person/ illegal alien/gang member/wife beater and TRY TO ACT LIKE IT WAS ALL A NOBLE CAUSE! .. OMG STOP, I’M CRYING OVER HERE…LOL
Patti Morin was spot on with her comments yesterday. Joebama gave preferential treatment to ILLEGAL ALIENS, and put Americans last. This has resulted in the senseless and preventable murdering of American citizens, creating angel families. That liberals take the side of ILLEGAL ALIENS demonstrates how evil they are—creating fake news stories, making judicial decisions to bar deportations, and wasting taxpayer dollars to travel to El Salvador and grand stand like a f—king idiot. They all need to be locked up, preferably in the prison in El Salvador!!!
Sadly the only thing that might help him understand is if the brutality described happened to his wife, child or grandchild, then he might understand. The hell it must be to live a lifetime and be this ignorant.
He is guilty of the Hatch act, and should be in jail.
Anyone remember Sen. Van Slimeball calling out Brandon for the open borders and the threats to his constituents? Me neither.
The Communists can NEVER EVER be allowed to control any organization at ANY LEVEL. It’s that simple!
The Democratic party Must be classified as a “Terrorist Organization”
They have been trying to Destroy our Country for years by trying to Destroy end Eliminate the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, demoralizing our Military and Giving Away Billions .
Decent, Conservatives, lovers of our Constitutional Republic’s provisions of life, liberty and basic freedoms must brace their selves for onslaught of insanity by these insane, lost to civility, Trump haters. They are but parasitic infections that will never relent nor cease to infest decay upon and into our nation. This is all they know, all they have the ambition to do, Divide, Disrupt, Destroy, Decay with deception, agendas of corruption that feed their power, lust and greed. They have nothing else. 99% or these morons are but narcissistic personalities marked by self-love and self-absorption, unrealistic views about their own qualities and little regard for others, having an inflated idea of their own importance, swelled head an exaggerated opinion of your own importance. An inflated feeling of pride in superiority to others. We must realize their sickness of. psychopathy a disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention. The primary concern we should have is with these demoncrats they are capable of violent acts without guilt feelings. Recall the term for these `psychopathic personalities were once widely used but was lately was superseded by sociopathic.
There is no way to enjoy the facts of this situation. This stunt is ridiculous. But it appears it will only get worse. The democrats had to find one case to challenge to try to stop the deportations of the mass of migrants they brought in. Now they are running the law against all the efforts to restore legal immigration
Democrats “just looking out for their sponsors and constituents” – MS13 Gang members, Tren De Aragua Gang members, the Mexican Cartels, illegal border crossers, and invaders, Organized Crime Syndicates, Anti-America Globalist fascist organizations like the UN, and WEF, pedophiles, drug, and human traffickers, Hamas, Iran, and of course the Chinese Communist Party. American Values, and U.S. citizens? …Meh, not so much!
The dems are hell bent on protecting invaders in our country. Criminals are protected. Demonstrators against Trump are paid and protected. Instead of trying to cooperate to make this country safe. They do everything to destroy it. Van Hollen, whose name in Dutch means “on the run” apt, don’t you think. Is on the wrong side of the law. All the weaponized judges can’t even help him. This man should be censored from the senate charged with treason. Colluding with a criminal to overthrow Maryland at a minimum and at most America. They don’t care about the victims these invaders have killed, maimed or the trauma the survivors have to live with every day, knowing these criminals still live here. Crowd funding raised 500K. What? And Mrs Morin’s daughter is never coming back. Van Hollen can’t go and get her. A Marylander. A Maryland mother a Maryland constituent. Garcia is none of that. He is a gangbanger. Member of MS 13. A citizen of El Salvador, a wife beater. Van Hollen you should be ashamed of yourself, for your actions are beyond the pale. And Judge Boasberger also needs to be taken off the bench for making new laws and ignoring the ones on the books. You are not above the president of the United States no matter who is president.
They should have call the San Salvador President, told him to release the prisoner to Van Hollen, let him fly him back to the US.
Then meet them both at the airport, arrest Van Hollen for trying to smuggle an illegal, and a terrorist, into the country, and put the prisoner back on the same plane and return him to San Salvador.
Kill two birds with one stone. ????
“The Media is the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.”
Malcolm X
These democrats are crazy I am glad my Grandparents are here to see what has happened to a once great party!
Senator “Dufus” is a prime example reinforcing the Dems’ theme song “Here Come the Clowns!”
Maybe this Senator is secretly pulling for the Republicans and figures this will guarantee the Midterm elections for us? Naw, he’s just another A-hole who thinks going against the will of two countries Presidents and the will of our people (on the taxpayers dime) will endear him to the Left so he can run for President himself! Sadly, he may be right about that!
OK send in Hollen by SALO chute into prison for visit see what happens
How did Abrego Garcia support his wife and kids? How come this is not brought out? Does he have a social security number, driver’s license, bank account, apartment and if he does how did he get them? So many unanswered questions!
If I were a Maryland voter and taxpayer, I would demand that van hollen reimburse the taxpayers for the trip + ALL related expenses. In addition, I as a federal taxpayer, he should be “docked” all pay and business expenses during the time he has been absent from his job and responsibilities as a junior senator.
I read all the posts thus far. And frankly, I can’t think of anything else to say…..it’s all been said right here.
Here we are paying for the illegals so that opportunistic, climbing ,hypocritical, cynical user can thumb his nose at his electorate, and advocate on behalf of a vicious criminal.He would not use one cent of his own money for that purpose ,voters don’t scream in revulsion, this is beyond the words.Media idolizing murderers and rapists of children,those calling themselves Democrats on the side of lawlessness , Republicans not thundering against it, church mum .
Their going to be wearing this one.
The Democratic Party are enemies to the American people, this is further evidence that they don’t care about Americans only how they are able to destroy America! The Democratic Party is full of Socialists, Marxist, Muslims/Hamas and Communist, etc, the judges, lawyers all must be dealt with severely in order to save our country!
Can’t we leave that senator there with his adopted son?
What a low life scum this weasel is. I hope he doesn’t get to leave El Salvador…Typical useless Democrat…
There is a broader discussion here I’ve only heard referred to once, even in conservative circles. It’s bad enough to have to go to great lengths to prove that this gang-banger is not a “Maryland Man”, but what is not being addressed is the similarity of process to the George Floyd case, which turned into a fight over the guilt or innocence of the police.
What I find disturbing is how this PROCESS is being used to disrupt and distract the conservative movement. The Left has sown chaos into our entire effort to bring truth and order to our political environment by latching on to a fall guy, in this case Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and turning him into some paragon of virtue so that we waste our time arguing over who is right and who is wrong, while we should be taking note that we’re being hustled.
They just did this exact same hustle to us with George Floyd, and now they’ve got a statue to him in the town square in Minneapolis, and 4 good cops are in jail, and we never did find and arrest the people responsible for using George Floyd to game the system.
If they succeed in bringing Garcia back to the States, it will be because we focused on HIM, rather than WHO IS RUNNING THE SCAM. Who are THEY? It’s not these stupid Democratic congressmen. There’s somebody higher up the food chain.
This isn’t ABOUT Garcia. He’s just an unwitting flunkie.
The Pravda State Run Media and the entire UNIPARTY in Washington DC may get replaced in 2026 if Voters use Common Sense and Believe in God and vote to silence this Evil or God will step in. Either way, in the end they will answer to God when their Term Limits on earth are up. Their Fate in Eternity will be their Final Destination on Judgement Day. They need to think about that.
In this brutal murder outcome of any US citizens by illegals, which shouldn’t be here in the first place should have never happened. The democrats and leaders who break our founding fathers constitutional laws must be made accountable and with punishment. This must be the rule for any goverment party and none negotiable. This one stupid democrat from MD what the he’ll was he thinking? El Salvador should have placed in jail with the rest of the deported criminals.
What does this illegal have on the democrats? Was he a player in Trump attempted assassinations? Why are they fighting so hard to bring him back, where they have access to him? Did that representative go down there to threaten him/family, if he talks?
And van hollen isn’t being ejected from Congress and/or censured, why? If the people of Maryland are so outraged by their crappy pick, then why aren’t they pushing to remove this SOB as their senatorial representative??? By going to El Salvador in this capacity, isn’t van hollen also violating The Logan Act and committing the crime of subversion?
The U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 2, grants ONLY the POTUS, as the Chief Diplomat of the U.S., the power to negotiate with foreign governments. The Logan Act (18 U.S.C. § 953) makes it a crime for U.S. Senators, Representatives, any other U.S. Officials, and U.S. Citizens to engage with a foreign government to attempt to influence that foreign government in a way that goes against the official policies of the U.S.
18 U.S. Code Chapter 115 Part I – TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES, outlines subversive activity as the systematic effort to undermine or weaken the government’s legitimacy and influence through covert and indirect tactics. It’s used as a tool to achieve political goals.
Based on the above, van hollen should be arrested and charged with subversion the instant he sets foot back on U.S. soil. Certainly wouldn’t break my heart to see him taken for a perp walk. Maybe then these other idiots who are trying to disrupt our duly elected POTUS from doing what We the People elected him to do will curtail their BS.
As a Marylander, I am embarrassed by Van Holland and Raskin. Don’t get me started on Wes Moore, governor. All he knows how to do is tax Marylanders to pay for his inept budget and spend, baby, spend policies. He is no businessman! So, just sayin’, don’t vote for his when he runs for president!
Another CLOWN in the Democrat CIRCUS. And We are getting to paying for the tickets.
I hope the dems are not using tax payer money. Omg!!!!
The Democrats and the media will make this country into a third world country with murder and other violent crimes just to control this country they care nothing for the citizens of this country. The Democrats and the media support illegals and gangs very sad for this country they are all like modern day communist in this country I am sure George Soros is behind a lot of this he supplies a lot of money to over through this country he hates this country.
Send him to GTMO
Just another, previously unknown by most Americans, political hack attempting to gain a little notoriety courtesy of the progressive/socialist controlled mainstream media controlled by his party.
One thing that you can count on with the democRATS,the clowns keep crawling out.That is pretty evident wiith the past,present and I am sure with today’s leftist entourage,there will be a never ending”parade”.
Democrats sealing the death of their party. Abrego Garcia,a known criminal sent to back home to El Salvador but democrats want him sent back to the USA.Homeland Security says that he has a history of violence and was hanging around with MS-13 gang members.If Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland succseedes in bringing Garcia back into our country i think we should see to it that he gets housing near to Senator Chris Van Hollen and his family.If he is such a good person maybe he would give him a job.With all that said he was here illegally.
How dare this Senator spend tax payer’s money to got to El Salvador and arrogantly try to free a criminal who is also that in his country? Democrats distort the truth to fit their narrative of lies. We don’t need foreign enemies when we have them in our government whose goal is to protect our enemies and not us? Sick Democs, never vote for any of them ever. This really upsets me to the core.
Is Van Hollen in violation of the FARA act (acting as a foreign agent)?