Chris Van Hollen said he had also been refused a visit or phone call with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is imprisoned in his native country despite a US federal judge's order, backed by the Supreme Court, for his return to the United States.
“His answer was that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at CECOT,“ Van Hollen, who represents Abrego Garcia's home state of Maryland, told reporters during a visit to the Central American nation.
“I’m asking President Bukele... to do the right thing and allow Mr Abrego Garcia to walk out of prison, a man who’s charged with no crime, convicted of no crime, and who was illegally abducted from the United States,“ Van Hollen said.
The Trump administration has admitted its mistake, and has been ordered by the Supreme Court to “facilitate” the 29-year-old’s return.
Bukele said during a White House visit on Monday he did not have the power to return Abrego Garcia to the United States.
'Picking on most vulnerable'
“This is about due process. This is about rule of law,“ Van Hollen said earlier.
The White House claims that it is complying with the courts and says, without providing evidence, that Abrego Garcia is a gang member. He denies the accusation and has never been charged with crimes in either country.
West Virginia Republican congressman Riley Moore posted on X Tuesday that he had also traveled to El Salvador to see the prison where immigrants deported by the Trump administration are being held.
Another Democratic senator, Cory Booker, was also mulling a trip to the country but has not yet made an announcement on timing.
Two Democrats in the House of Representatives -- Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California -- were also reportedly planning to visit.
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