Sen. Chris Van Hollen advocates for detained MS-13 suspect’s release

Hold onto your hats, folks — Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is doubling down on defending an accused MS-13 gang member in a case that’s raising eyebrows across Maryland and beyond, as Breitbart reports.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an unauthorized migrant from El Salvador, finds himself at the center of a firestorm involving allegations of human trafficking, domestic violence, and now a tug-of-war between federal authorities and progressive lawmakers.

Let’s rewind to 2022, when Tennessee state troopers pulled over a vehicle driven by Abrego Garcia, owned by a convicted felon named Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes.

Unpacking the traffic stop

Inside that vehicle were nine passengers, suspiciously lacking any luggage, leading troopers to believe they were unauthorized migrants being smuggled deeper into the U.S.

After consulting federal agents, troopers let Abrego Garcia drive off — a decision that now looks like a missed opportunity to stop a potential smuggling operation in its tracks.

Later, Hernandez-Reyes, already behind bars in Alabama for a human smuggling scheme, reportedly told FBI agents he had hired Abrego Garcia to assist in transporting unauthorized migrants from the southern border.

Allegations against immigrant mount

Fast forward, and the Department of Justice charged Abrego Garcia with human smuggling, alongside accusations of domestic violence and abuse against women — serious claims that paint a troubling picture.

Months ago, he was deported to El Salvador, only for Democrats, including Van Hollen, to rally to his defense despite the allegations stacking up against him.

The DOJ then ordered Abrego Garcia returned to the U.S. from a Salvadoran prison, a move that suggests even they couldn’t ignore the need for further scrutiny.

Detention sparks political firestorm

Last Friday, a federal judge granted Abrego Garcia parole, releasing him from custody, but that freedom was short-lived as ICE detained him again on Monday morning after he checked in with immigration officials.

Enter Van Hollen, who previously traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia and met him again just before Monday’s detention, now demanding ICE release him once more.

“I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with Kilmar Ábrego García this morning,” Van Hollen said in a statement on Sunday, welcoming him back to Maryland.

Van Hollen’s defense raises eyebrows

“I shared with him that I and many others have been fighting for months to ensure that his constitutional due process rights were respected,” Van Hollen continued, framing this as a noble battle against an overreaching administration.

With all due respect to the senator, one has to wonder if this fight for “due process” overlooks the gravity of the charges — human smuggling and abuse aren’t exactly parking tickets, and most folks would agree that public safety should take precedence over political posturing.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration isn’t backing down, with officials stating plans to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, a curious destination that raises its own set of questions but signals a commitment to removing him from U.S. soil.