If you’ve never heard of Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., don’t worry—you haven’t missed much. He’s made a career out of quiet loyalty to the party line, rarely standing out and almost never challenging the orthodoxy of the progressive political machine. But this week, Van Hollen finally found a cause worth grandstanding over: demanding the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien with documented MS-13 gang ties who was lawfully deported to El Salvador.
Yes, you read that right.
On the same day that an illegal immigrant from El Salvador was found guilty of the brutal rape and murder of Maryland mother-of-five Rachel Morin, Senator Van Hollen declared his intent to fly to El Salvador—not to demand justice for Morin’s family, not to investigate rising gang violence tied to open-border policies, but to pressure El Salvador’s president into releasing another Salvadoran national, this time a known MS-13 affiliate.
Abrego Garcia had been ordered deported years ago after two immigration courts linked him to MS-13. He was finally returned home under a lawful removal order and is now sitting exactly where he belongs: inside CECOT, El Salvador’s state-of-the-art prison for violent criminals. But for Van Hollen, this is a humanitarian crisis worth threatening international travel and diplomatic drama over. For Rachel Morin’s family? A generic “heartbreaking” tweet.
When Rachel Morin, an actual Maryland mother was killed by an illegal gang member, the only thing Chris Van Hollen did was give a statement to a news outlet.
But when an illegal from El Salvador gets deported, he’s ready to fly down there to free his “constituent.” pic.twitter.com/jmDtzEAnIr
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 14, 2025
Let’s not pretend this is anything other than theater. Van Hollen has no power to storm a foreign prison. His letter to President Bukele demanding a meeting was met with silence. His promise to “travel south” if his demands aren’t met rings hollow—unless, of course, he plans to pose outside the gates of CECOT in a white pantsuit à la AOC, tears optional.
But even if this is just symbolic, it’s a symbol that speaks volumes.
While law-abiding Americans are mourning real victims like Rachel Morin—an actual Maryland resident—Van Hollen is busy advocating for a foreign national with ties to violent crime. His actions are not just tone-deaf. They are offensive. They reflect the warped hierarchy of values that now defines much of the Democratic Party: criminals first, citizens last.
Consider the facts: Rachel Morin’s killer was an illegal immigrant from the same country Van Hollen is now championing. Her family received little more than polite platitudes from their senator. Meanwhile, Kilmar Abrego Garcia—already convicted by the court of public opinion, and targeted by two immigration judges—is the subject of a potential taxpayer-funded rescue mission.
Democrat Senator Van Hollen: “I have not heard back from the president of El Salvador…I do intend to go to El Salvador, this week, to show solidarity with” Abrego Garcia.
“He was abducted and sent to this prison in error.” pic.twitter.com/asw3KiW7mG
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 15, 2025
The so-called “Maryland man” narrative being pushed by the left is as misleading as it is insulting. Abrego Garcia may have stepped foot in Maryland, but he was never part of the state’s law-abiding community. The only thing tying him to Maryland is the risk he posed to it.
It’s time to ask: whose side is Sen. Van Hollen on?
Not the side of Rachel Morin’s grieving family. Not the side of Americans demanding a secure border and justice for victims. No—Van Hollen has planted his flag on the side of political theater, transnational activism, and loyalty to a narrative that puts ideology ahead of safety.
