Who is Chris Van Hollen? The US Senator attempting to visit an unjustly deported man held in an El Salvadorian prison

Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD-D) is traveling to El Salvador to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father, who was deported to a prison in the Central American country, and the country’s leaders about when he could be returned. Not just any prison, Mr. Abrego Garcia and hundreds of other men who were denied due process were sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT.

Senator Van Hollen visits El Salvador seeking answers on the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Though the administration has walked back these comments, prosecutors for the government had admitted that Mr. Abrego Garcia was deported because of an “administrative error.”

Since Mr. Abrego Garcia’s illegal deportation on March 15, 2025, his wife, Jennifer, a US citizen, nor his legal team, have been able to speak with him. Though District Court Judge Paula Xinis has ordered the government to produce information on Mr. Abrego Garcia’s condition, very few details have been released, though they did confirm that he was alive.

When the Trump administration challenged Judge Xinis’ order that Mr. Abrego Garcia be returned, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the government must try to “facilitate” his return to the US. However, officials have interpreted what responsibility facilitating a return imposes on the government, directly contradicting the District Court Judge Paula Xinis, whose decision the Supreme Court upheld.

Senator Van Hollen travels to El Salvador

Senator Van Hollen posted on social media that he was traveling to El Salvador on Wednesday, April 16, where he hoped to meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia to be able to provide his family with information on his condition.

Additionally, the senator had hoped to meet with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, who was visiting Washington earlier this week and ignored a request from the senator’s office to meet during his trip. Before leaving for El Salvador, Senator Van Hollen said he not heard from the El Salvadorian government about his ability to visit the prison, CECOT (Terrorism Confinement Center), or if officials there would be willing to meet with him.

Visits from US leaders to CECOT have been facilitated in recent weeks, with Department of Homeland Secuirty Krisit Noam, touring the facility and posing for photos highlighting the deplorable conditions in the jail.

The senator’s trip has been applauded by members of the Democratic Party and supporters, who find the case of Mr. Abrego Garcia and his family horrifying. Fueling further fears was news from the White House earlier this week that the Trump administration is evaluating the legality of sending US citizens to CECOT.

Chris Van Hollen’s road to Washington

Van Hollen is the senior senator from Maryland, serving alongside Angela Alsobrooks, also a Democrat. His life in public service began in 1991, when he was elected to the Maryland House of Representatives, and then became a state Senator. Mirroring that trajectory at the federal level, Van Hollen was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2002 and elected to serve in the US Senate in 2017.

Currently, the Senator sits on the Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Foreign Relations Committee, and the Budget Committee.

As far as his political outlook, he fits the standard among Democrats. He is pro-choice, supports the Affordable Care Act, believes in marriage equality, supports an increase in the federal minimum wage, and a ban on bump stocks.

Senator Van Hollen holds a JD from Georgetown University, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University, and completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. After graduating from law school, he entered politics, working in the office of then-Republican Maryland Senator Charles Mathias.

His exposure to political life began at an early age due to his parents’ work; during his childhood, they were employed by the US State Department and the CIA. He and his two siblings spent much of their early years in Asia. Van Hollen was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and spent years in Turkey, India, and Sri Lanka.

Together, he and his wife, Katherine, share three children.

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