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Trump, White House Respond to Van Hollen’s Photo Op With Deported Illegal Immigrant

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  April 18, 2025 12:00 PM

As Townhall has been covering all week, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has made it a priority to meet with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant deported to El Salvador, and one he has affectionately dubbed "Maryland man." After venturing off on Wednesday to El Salvador, Van Hollen finally met with the man on Thursday, posing for a rather tone-deaf photo with the man. 

On Friday morning, President Donald Trump addressed Van Hollen's stunt. "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," he posted, adding that the senator was a "GRANDSTANDER!!!"

Such a post follows another one from Thursday night, not long after Van Hollen posted that photo of himself with Abrego Garcia, in which Kush Desai, the White House deputy press secretary, put out a quoted repost directed not merely at Van Hollen, but his party. 

"Chris Van Hollen has firmly established Democrats as the party whose top priority is the welfare of an illegal alien MS-13 terrorist. It is truly disgusting. President Trump will continue to stand on the side of law-abiding Americans," Desai's post read. 

The Thursday post from Van Hollen was shocking, even for him. "I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return," it read. To speak about a "message of love" when it comes to an MS-13 gang member" speaks to some rather messed up priorities. Van Hollen also not able to meet with Abrego Garcia until he had already been in El Salvador and went a day without meeting with him. 

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Van Hollen not only had the support from his fellow Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), but many other Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) also announced their intentions for a trip to El Salvador.

During an exchange on CNN from Wednesday, Scott Jennings and Garcia went at it quite passionately over what a losing issue this is for the Democratic Party, among other 80-20 issues, which is why the party is facing a record low approval rating. Nevertheless, the congressman didn't want to remain on topic and instead mostly ranted and raved againstTrump. 

The White House's X account also posted on Thursday night a picture of Patty Morin meeting with Trump at the White House. This was in stark contrast to how Van Hollen was in a foreign country on behalf of an illegal immigrant who is not only an MS-13 gang member, but one who was accused of domestic violence by his wife, though his wife is nevertheless still going after the Trump administration for deporting her husband. 

Morin's daughter, Rachel Morin, was an actual Maryland citizen and constituent of Van Hollen. She was raped and murdered last year by another illegal immigrant from El Salvador who had come into the country thanks to the open borders of the Biden-Harris administration. That illegal immigrant, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, was found guilty of his crimes on Monday. 

Van Hollen has posted incessantly about Abrego Garcia, making it a habit of referring to him in a familiar manner by his first name. In stark contrast, he does not appear to have posted once about Morin, and has barely acknowledged her and the tragic fate she met, except in statements that it appears he has not bothered to share more widely.

Van Hollen has not only not posted about Morin he still had not done so even after the victim's mother had a message for him directly when she spoke at the podium at the White House briefing room on Wednesday. She also tagged the senator in a post from her X account sharing her remarks. 

The White House also shared over X that Van Hollen has still not accepted their invitation for collaboration over Instagram to speak about Rachel Morin.