Sen. Chris Van Hollen claims that his “Margarita-gate” meeting was a set-up by the Trump Administration.
The Maryland Democrat visited El Salvador in an effort to secure the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported illegal immigrant accused of MS-13 affiliation.
Van Hollen alleged that Salvadoran authorities staged a misleading photo opportunity by placing margarita glasses in front of him and Abrego Garcia during a hotel meeting.
“Let me just be very clear,” he said. “Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us. And if you want to play a little Sherlock Holmes, I’ll tell you how you can know that.”
“They made a little mistake,” Van Hollen said. “If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was, salt or sugar, would disappear. You would see a gap. There’s no gap. Nobody drank any margaritas for sugar water or whatever it is.”
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador took to social media to ridicule the meeting the day prior.
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador,” he posted.
Van Hollen, who had originally been denied access to meet with Abrego Garcia, claimed he was unexpectedly granted the meeting after a failed attempt to visit the CECOT megaprison where Garcia had previously been detained.
He said Salvadoran officials suggested they hold the meeting in a hotel lounge by the pool.
“This is a lesson into the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people,” Van Hollen said. “And it also shows the lengths that the Trump administration and the president will go to, because when he was asked by a reporter about this, he just went along for the ride.”
Trump blasted the Maryland Democrat in one of his Truth Social posts about the incident on Friday.
“Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media, or anyone. GRANDSTANDER!!!” He wrote.
According to the senator, Garcia told him he had recently been transferred to a different detention facility in Santa Ana with improved living conditions.
However, Van Hollen said the detainee reported having no access to outside news or communication.
President Trump responded to the incident for a second time the same day, by posting images of Garcia’s tattoos on Truth Social, which appeared to display MS-13 insignia.
“This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such ‘a fine and innocent person,’” Trump wrote.
This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such “a fine and innocent person.” They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found… pic.twitter.com/31sNr2k1SK
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2025
“They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles, and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc,” he added.
“I was elected to take bad people out of the United States, among other things. I must be allowed to do my job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In federal court, a judge rejected an urgent attempt by attorneys representing alleged Venezuelan gang members to halt deportations under a centuries-old statute now being utilized by the Trump administration.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled against a temporary restraining order that would have forced the government to provide 30 days’ notice before deporting detainees under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
The request came from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is defending individuals believed to be part of the Venezuelan criminal network known as Tren de Aragua.
Boasberg, speaking during an emergency hearing in a Washington, D.C. courtroom, stated, “I’m sympathetic to your conundrum, but I don’t think I have the power to do anything about it.”
The judge referred to a recent Supreme Court decision that lifted his earlier block on the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act.
“It is very concerning, but at this point I just don’t think I have the ability to grant relief to the plaintiffs,” Boasberg told the courtroom.
“I just don’t really see how you’re asking me to do anything different from what the Supreme Court said I couldn’t do.”
Following the hearing, Boasberg officially denied the ACLU’s motion. The civil liberties organization has also submitted similar petitions to both the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court.
According to filings in the D.C. district court, the ACLU claims that the government began issuing removal notices to detainees with insufficient information, written only in English. These notices allegedly failed to clarify timelines or appeal processes.
The ACLU further alleged that some detainees were informed they would be deported within 24 hours.
“Upon information and belief, individuals have already been loaded on to buses,” the filing stated.
Last month, Boasberg temporarily blocked President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. But on April 7, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the administration could move forward with deportations, provided detainees are given notice in time to challenge the action in court.
The court instructed that individuals facing removal must receive notification “within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek [a court hearing] in the proper venue before such removal occurs.”
