Kilmar Abrego Garcia meets with Sen. Van Hollen (X / @ChrisVanHollen)
But when Van Hollen arrived, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele was out of the country, and the senator from Maryland met with Vice President Félix Augusto Antonio Ulloa Garay instead.
"I asked the vice president if I could meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia, and he said, ‘well, you need to make earlier provisions to go visit CECOT,’" Van Hollen said.
He told Ulloa that he was not interested in taking a tour of CECOT and that he just wanted to meet with Abrego Garcia.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia meets with Sen. Van Hollen (X / @nayibbukele)
A federal appeals court earlier in the day denied the Trump administration’s emergency request to block a judge’s order requiring the U.S. government to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to lift a judge's order to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return from CECOT, but the court on Thursday rejected the request.
The three-judge panel included Judge Harvie Wilkinson, appointed by President Ronald Reagan, along with Judges Robert King and Stephanie Thacker, appointed by Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia meets with Sen. Van Hollen (X / @nayibbukele)
In the court’s opinion, Wilkinson repeatedly referred to Abrego Garcia as a "resident," even though Abrego Garcia is not a lawful U.S. resident.
The court said the DOJ’s request was "extraordinary and premature" and that it would not interfere with the district judge’s efforts to carry out the Supreme Court’s decision.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Abrego Garcia would not be allowed back into the U.S. unless El Salvador were to decide otherwise. "He is not coming back to our country."
The Trump administration released information on Wednesday indicating that Abrego Garcia's wife has accused him of repeated abuse of her.
Fox News obtained the written domestic violence allegations filed in court against 29-year-old Kilmar Abrego Garcia by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez, in 2021.
In the filing, written in Vasquez’s own handwriting, she alleges Abrego Garcia repeatedly beat her, writing: "At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me."
The Department of Homeland Security also released documents that it says prove Abrego Garcia is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which the Trump administration has declared a foreign terrorist organization.
Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-senator-meets-shakes-hands-abrego-garcia-el-salvador-says-inmate-remain-custody