Sen. Van Hollen Claims El Salvador Staged 'Margarita-gate' Photo Op

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen denied accusations that he drank margaritas with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man reportedly wrongly deported from the U.S., during their meeting in El Salvador. Van Hollen claims that the Salvadoran government staged the now-viral photo, planting cocktail glasses on the table to create the appearance of a leisurely meeting, which Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele then used to mock him on social media. The senator argued that neither he nor Abrego Garcia touched the drinks, citing the unbroken salt rims on the glasses as evidence. Van Hollen further accused both Bukele and former President Donald Trump of using the incident to distract from ongoing concerns about human rights abuses at the prison where Abrego Garcia was held and the administrative error that led to his deportation. He characterized the episode as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public about the actual conditions and the seriousness of Abrego Garcia's detention. The incident has sparked political controversy, with Van Hollen defending his trip as an effort to support a constituent wrongfully deported, while critics accuse him of political grandstanding.