US Senator presses Trump on wrongly detained man after El Salvador cites US funds

By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -El Salvador is lone detaining an El Salvadoran antheral mistakenly deported from Maryland due to the fact that the state is receiving U.S. payments, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen said successful a missive to the White House connected Tuesday.

Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, said his caller gathering with El Salvador's vice president shows President Donald Trump's nonaccomplishment to travel tribunal orders.

In a abstracted statement, Van Hollen said Salvadoran Vice President Felix Ulloa told him this period that the Central American federation was holding Kilmar Abrego Garcia "solely due to the fact that the United States is paying the state to bash so."

He said, "we person a woody with the U.S. government. They nonstop people. We big them. They pay. And that’s it," the legislator wrote successful the missive to Trump, citing Ulloa.

Their speech "clearly demonstrates that the authorities of El Salvador has nary autarkic ineligible ground for imprisoning Mr. Abrego Garcia," Van Hollen added. "The lone crushed for keeping him successful situation is that they entered into an statement with your medication to beryllium paid by the United States.”

Van Hollen, who says the lawsuit illustrates the risks to everyone's owed process and law rights, met with Garcia successful El Salvador aft the U.S. Supreme Court told Trump's medication to "facilitate" Garcia's instrumentality to the U.S.

Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran migrant who was surviving successful Maryland with a enactment permit, was detained by U.S. migration officers successful March and questioned astir alleged pack ties. His lawyers contradict immoderate pack affiliation, saying helium near El Salvador aged 16 to flight gang-related unit and received a protective bid successful 2019 to proceed surviving successful the United States.

The White House has repeated the unproven accusation that Abrego Garcia is portion of MS-13, which the medication has designated a overseas violent group.

"They conscionable support digging themselves deeper," White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said of Van Hollen and chap Democrats, who besides visited El Salvador this month.

Abrego Garcia was deported connected 1 of 3 deportation flights to El Salvador with Venezuelan migrants. The Trump administration, successful a tribunal filing aft Abrego Garcia and his household challenged the deportation successful court, acknowledged helium was sent successful error.

In an interrogation with Time mag published connected Friday, Trump said helium was leaving the lawsuit up to his lawyers.

Asked astir White House efforts to travel the tribunal order, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt connected Monday cited El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's comments during an April 14 gathering with Trump, telling reporters: "El Salvador does not mean to smuggle a designated overseas violent backmost into the United States... the medication intends to comply with what President Bukele said."

Lawyers for the Venezuelan men besides sent to the notorious CECOT situation wherever Abrego Garcia had been held person besides urged a justice to bid Trump's medication to facilitate their return.

A lawyer for 10 of the men connected Monday said they were denied entree to their clients during a travel to El Salvador.

Trump has touted his migration crackdown arsenic helium marks his 100th time successful bureau this week. While migration has been Trump's strongest country of support, a Reuters/Ipsos canvass past week recovered respondents divided connected his handling of the issue.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by David Gregorio and Daniel Wallis)