WASHINGTON – Maryland Democrat Rep. Glenn Ivey said he was denied access to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia during a recent trip to El Salvador.

Abrego Garcia, a union sheet metal worker and father of three from Maryland, was wrongly deported to the Central American country in March. He was taken to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center before being transferred to a facility with better conditions in April.
Ivey, who flew to El Salvador on May 23, told USA TODAY in a phone interview that the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador and his office had informed the Salvadoran government of his visit, but he was denied access to see Abrego Garcia.

“They certainly had notice. They were certainly aware. They just decided they wanted to stonewall me, and that’s the bottom line on that front,” he said.

In April, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, also a Maryland Democrat, traveled to El Salvador and met with Abrego Garcia. “I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love,” he posted on X at the time.
Though four House Democrats also traveled to El Salvador in April to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s release, their request to meet with him was denied.

Ivey said in a video clip shared on X that he was told he needed a permit to see Abrego Garcia.

“I have a right to go see him and make sure he’s in good health. So I don’t think there’s any merit at all to this permit stuff,” Ivey said.
In response to Ivey’s post, the Department of Homeland Security posted, “While the mainstream media and politicians are fighting to bring a foreign terrorist and gang member back to U.S. soil, @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem are fighting for the victims of alien crime and putting the safety of Americans FIRST.”

The Trump administration insists Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, but a federal judge has questioned the strength of the government’s evidence. Abrego Garcia denies being a gang member and has no criminal convictions.