Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen ripped apart for admitting his trip to El Salvador was paid for by taxpayers
A Democrat senator who flew to El Salvador last week to visit a deported Salvadoran migrant elicited fury online after revealing that U.S. taxpayers funded his visit to see the detained non-citizen.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., traveled to Central America last week to check on the well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, a migrant who crossed into the U.S. illegally before settling down in Maryland and marrying an American woman.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia in March because of his alleged ties to the violent gang MS-13, though the White House admits his removal came as a result of an 'administrative error,' and courts have ordered he be returned to the U.S.
Amid the controversy over whether Abrego Garcia's deportation was lawful, documents revealing he beat his American wife and was suspected by Maryland authorities to be an active MS-13 member surfaced.
Despite the fresh allegations against Abrego Garcia, Van Hollen pressed on with his trip and has been advocating for the Salvadorans' return to the U.S.
Explaining his rationale for the visit on Fox News Sunday, the Democrat was asked about whether U.S. taxpayers footed the bill for the multi-day trip to El Salvador.
'Who did pay for this trip?' host Shannon Bream asked.
'This was an officially cleared congressional trip,' Van Hollen replied, initially dodging the question.
'So taxpayer dollars?' Bream pressed.
'Yes, like every other trip,' the Democrat admitted.
Shortly after the show aired conservatives began tearing into the lawmaker for using American tax dollars to travel to El Salvador and check on the well-being of a Salvadoran man.
'Van Hollen hates America,' Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., posted on X in response to a clip of the Democrat's admission.
'He should return the money and resign,' Mace's post continued. 'Disgusting misappropriation of your tax dollars.'
President Trump's 'Border Czar' Tom Homan also ripped into Van Hollen on Sunday.
'What bothers me more than that is a U.S. Senator travels on our taxpayer dime to meet with a MS13 gang member,' Homan told ABC News.
'What concerns me is Van Hollen never went to the border last four years, when Joe Biden had a 600 percent increase in sex trafficking of women and children,' he continued. 'What shocks me is he's remained silent about the travesty that happened our southern border - many people died.'
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also slammed the senator, telling Fox News on Monday that the Democrat's trip was shameful.
'Shame on Senator Chris Van Hollen and the entire Democrat Party who wasted Easter Sunday going on every television show in the country to advocate for the return of an illegal criminal gang member,' she said.
'There is a litany of evidence proving this individual's ties to MS-13 that has been confirmed in two different courts.'
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