This radical Leftist has destroyed everything he’s worked for. His time in politics may be over.
And this Democrat Senator’s career is on life support after this incriminating photo leaks.
Senator’s Tropical Encounter with Alleged MS-13 Member Ignites Firestorm
In a stunning turn of events, photos surfaced Thursday showing Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member, in what El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele described as a “tropical paradise.”
The images, shared by Bukele on X, depict the pair “sipping margaritas” amid Abrego Garcia’s contentious deportation battle, raising questions about the senator’s priorities and sparking outrage across the United States.
I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. pic.twitter.com/U9y2gZpxCb
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 18, 2025
A Controversial Meeting in El Salvador
The photos capture Van Hollen and Abrego Garcia lounging outdoors, seated at a table adorned with salt-rimmed glasses containing a mysterious liquid and cherries. Bukele, never one to shy away from bold statements, took to X to comment: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador.” In a follow-up post, he added, “Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”
Van Hollen’s trip to the Central American nation was aimed at advocating for the release of Abrego Garcia, who was deported last month to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT megaprison under the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act.
The Salvadoran migrant, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was among 260 reputed gang members sent to the facility despite never being charged with a crime and consistently denying MS-13 affiliations.
The Trump administration has maintained that Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang and was residing in the U.S. illegally at the time of his deportation. However, the move has been mired in controversy, with claims of a “clerical error” leading to his removal and defiance of multiple court orders, including one from the U.S. Supreme Court, demanding his return. A 2019 order had also prohibited his deportation to El Salvador due to risks of gang retaliation.
Outrage from a Grieving Mother
The senator’s actions have drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland woman brutally m*rdered in 2023 by Victor Martinez-Hernandez, a Salvadoran illegal immigrant convicted earlier last week. Speaking to the White House press corps on Wednesday, Patty Morin expressed her frustration: “I just don’t understand this.” She accused Van Hollen of failing to acknowledge her daughter’s tragic death while using taxpayer funds to “fly to El Salvador to bring back a person … who isn’t even an American citizen.”
The White House echoed these sentiments, issuing a scathing statement to the New York Post: “Chris Van Hollen has firmly established Democrats as the party whose top priority is the welfare of an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist. It is truly disgusting. President Trump will continue to stand on the side of law-abiding Americans.”
Van Hollen’s Response and New Allegations
Undeterred, Van Hollen shared his own photo of the meeting on X, showing him and Abrego Garcia seated at a table with what appeared to be glasses of water and coffee. “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar,” he wrote. “Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.”
Meanwhile, new details have emerged about Abrego Garcia’s past. On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released documents alleging he was an active MS-13 member in 2019, holding the rank of “Chequeo” and the street name “Chele.” The Department of Homeland Security also disclosed that in 2021, Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, sought a protective order against him, citing physical abuse. Vasquez Sura, who has been vocal in her fight for her husband’s release, told the New York Post she requested the order “out of caution” due to trauma from a prior abusive relationship. She argued that the allegations “is not justification for ICE’s actions of abducting him and deporting him to a country where he was supposed to be protected from deportation.”
Bukele’s Defiance and a Nation Divided
President Bukele has remained steadfast in his refusal to return Abrego Garcia, calling the notion “preposterous” during a White House appearance on Monday. As the public feud intensifies, the case has become a lightning rod for debates over immigration, gang violence, and political priorities. For now, Abrego Garcia remains in El Salvador’s custody, while Van Hollen’s tropical rendezvous continues to fuel a firestorm of criticism back home.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
