Staffer (02:35):
Can I actually get everyone to shift over here by one foot, just one step?
Reporter (02:43):
Any ETA for the Senator?
Staffer (02:45):
Unfortunately, I don't at the moment. We're trying our best.
Airport PA (02:46):
Welcome to Washington Dulles International Airport. As many bags are on the belt, please check your baggage receipt to ensure the bag you've claimed is your own.
Group (08:16):
Yeah, I'm sure he [inaudible 00:04:26]. Not going to be [inaudible 00:04:28].
(08:16)
[foreign language 00:08:11] The people united will never be defeated. The people united will never be divided.
(08:20)
[foreign language 00:08:22]. The people united will never be divided.
(09:04)
[foreign language 00:09:16]
Chris Van Hollen (09:26):
It's good to be home. Now we need to end the illegal abduction of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and bring him home too. We're joined by his wife Jennifer, by his mother Cecilia, by his brother Cesar, and thank all of the rest of you who are joining us in solidarity with the Constitution and Kilmar. Look, I'm a little sleep-deprived and I want to be as clear as possible about what this is about, and what it's not about. So I'm going to read the remarks that I wrote on the plane ride home. As the federal courts have said, we need to bring Mr. Arbego Garcia home to protect his constitutional rights to due process. And it's also important that people understand this case is not just about one man, it's about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody who resides in the United States of America. If you deny the constitutional rights of one man, you threaten the constitutional rights and due process for everyone else in America.
Group (10:56):
Yes, thank you.
Chris Van Hollen (10:57):
The Fourth Circuit put it very clearly in its strong opinion yesterday, and I quote, "It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter, but in this case it is not hard at all. The government, in this case the Trump administration, is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order."
(11:31)
Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody, that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from the courthouses still hold dear. They summed up the issue at stake perfectly, and that's why the Supreme Court, in a nine-
Chris Van Hollen (12:00):
Nine-to-nothing decision. Order the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
That's right.
Chris Van Hollen (12:08):
Now the Trump administration wants to flat-out lie about what this case is about. They want to change the subject, they want to make it about something else, and they are flouting the orders from the Federal District Court, the Fourth Circuit Court, and the Supreme Court to facilitate his return. That's why I traveled to El Salvador, leaving here on Wednesday. And I want to express my gratitude to members of my family and members of my staff who agree that we all must be prepared to take risks because of the current risk to our Constitution itself. In addition to having a variety of discussions on bilateral issues between the United States and El Salvador, I had two main goals. One was to urge the government of El Salvador not to be complicit in the illegal abduction and detention of Mr. Abrego Garcia, and to release him.
(13:22)
I made that request directly to the Vice President of El Salvador. The president was out of country at the time, and I've previously reported on that conversation. My principal mission was to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I told his wife, Jennifer and his family, that I would do everything in my power to make that happen. And last night at about 6:40 P.M. El Salvador time, 8 45 P.M. here on the East Coast, I called Jennifer to tell her that I had met with Kilmar, and I told her what he said to me, which was first and foremost, that he missed her and his family. And as he said that you could see it tear go down his cheek. Now getting a meeting with Kilmar was not easy. On Wednesday, I met with the vice president of El Salvador and asked if I could meet with him.
(14:35)
The answer was no. I asked if I returned the following week, whether I could meet with him. The answer was no. I asked if I could call him on the phone. The answer was no. I asked if his wife, Jennifer, could call him on the phone. The answer was no. No to his wife, no to his mother, no to his lawyers. So the following day, which was yesterday, I decided to give it another try by driving to CECOT. CECOT is the notorious prison where Kilmar was taken when he was abducted. I was accompanied by a lawyer for Kilmar's wife, Jennifer, and mother Cecilia Krisnewsom. About three kilometers outside of CECOT, we were pulled over by soldiers. You could see the rest of the traffic was allowed to go by. We were pulled over by soldiers and told that we were not allowed to proceed any farther. When I asked why, was told that they had orders not to allow us to go any further. When I asked them if they knew anything about the condition of Mr. Abrego Garcia, they said no. And so much later in the afternoon, I was actually getting ready to catch a plane out of San Salvador back here later, yesterday evening, and all of a sudden I got word that I would be allowed to meet with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and they brought him to the hotel where I was staying. And after that meeting, as I said, I called his wife Jennifer to report on some of the news of that meeting, and now I'm going to report to all of you about our discussion. When I told him that his wife and family sent their love and were fighting for Kilmar's return home every day, he said that he was worried about all of you. That was his response. How are you dealing with this horrible ordeal and nightmare for the family? He said that thinking of you, members of his family, is what gave him the strength to persevere, to keep going day to day, even under these awful circumstances. He spoke several times about your five-year-old son who has autism, five-year-old son who was in the car in Maryland when Kilmar was pulled over by U.S. government agents and handcuffed.
(17:42)
His five-year-old son was in the car at that time. He told me that he was taken to Baltimore first. I assume that was the Baltimore Detention Center. He asked to make a phone call from there to let people know what had happened to him, but he was denied that opportunity. He said he was later taken with some others from Baltimore to a detention center in Texas, and some point thereafter, I don't know whether it was a period of hours or days, he was handcuffed, shackled, and put on a plane along with some others where they couldn't see out of the windows. There was no way to see where they were going in the plane. They didn't know for sure where they were going.
(18:41)
They landed in El Salvador and he was taken to CECOT prison. He was placed in a cell with, if I recall correctly, and don't hold me to it, of about 25 other prisoners at CECOT. He said he was not afraid of the other prisoners in his immediate cell, but that he was traumatized by being at CECOT and fearful of many of the prisoners in other cell blocks who called out to him and taunted him in various ways. He told me, and this was yesterday, that eight days ago, so I guess nine days ago from today, he was moved to another detention center in Santa Ana where the conditions are better. But he said despite the better conditions, he still has no access to any news from the outside world and no ability to communicate with anybody in the outside world. His conversation with me was the first communication he'd had with anybody outside of prison since he was abducted.
(20:07)
He said he felt very sad about being in a prison, because he had not committed any crimes. When I asked him what was the one thing he would ask for in addition to his freedom, he said he wanted to talk to his wife, Jennifer. I told him I would work very hard to make that happen. I told him that in addition to his family, that all of you who are here today were fighting to bring him home. I told him that his brothers and sisters in his union, the Sheet Metal Workers' Union, were fighting to bring him home. That brought a smile to his face. I told him that millions of Americans understand that what is happening to him is a threat to their own constitutional rights. I told him about the decisions of the federal courts, the district court, the Fourth Circuit Court, the Supreme Court, and I think that in addition to knowing that his family was fighting for him, all of that gave him strength, the fact that all of you here were fighting for him.
(21:28)
I want to say something about the Trump administration's efforts to change the conversation about what this case is about. This case is about upholding constitutional rights for Abrego Garcia and for every American. The president, President Trump and the Trump administration wants to say that those who are fighting to stand up for our constitution don't want to fight gang violence. That is an outright lie. That is a big, big lie. I, for one, have been fighting against transnational gang violence, especially MS-13, for over 20 years, probably for longer than Donald Trump ever uttered those words, MS-13. Over 20 years ago, I worked to establish a anti-gang task force, a regional anti-gang task force in the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia area. I did it in a bipartisan way with then Congressman Frank Wolf and Tom Davis, and we have made substantial progress in this region. We have a long way still to go, but those efforts have resulted in progress. So I say to the president of the Trump administration, if you want to make claims about Mr. Abrego Garcia and MS-13, you should present them in the court.
(23:08)
Not over social media, not at press conferences, where you just rattle stuff off, because here is what the federal district court judge said about exactly this issue. This is Judge Xinis. So she is the federal District court judge in the District of Maryland where the case first appeared. This is a quote from her opinion, "Defendants," and in this case, this is the Trump administration she's referring to, "have offered no evidence, have offered no evidence, linking Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or any terrorist activity, and vague allegations of gang association alone do not supersede the express protections offered under the INA."
Chris Van Hollen (24:01):
She emphasized this point, and I'm quoting, "No evidence before the court connect Abrego Garcia to MS-13 or any other criminal organization." In other words, put up in court or shut up.
(24:25)
What the Trump Administration did admit in court was that Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been mistakenly detained. They called it a, "Administrative error." An administrative error that has resulted in him being abducted off the streets of Maryland and put into prison in El Salvador, that has deprived him of his personal freedom and liberty. But rather than fix this grievous error that they agreed had been made in court, what did the Trump Administration do? They upbraided and fired the lawyer who told the truth to the court. That's what they did. They didn't fix the error., They fired the lawyer who told the truth about this awful egregious mistake.
(25:24)
And now, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ordered the Trump Administration to fix that error that has deprived Mr. Abrego Garcia of his liberty, they're flaunting. The Administration, the Trump are flaunting the court order to facilitate his return. And, the government of El Salvador is complicit in that illegal scheme.
(25:49)
So we need to hold both of them accountable, and we can talk more about how to do that. But as I said at the beginning, this case is not only about one man, as important as that is, it is about protecting fundamental freedoms and the fundamental principle in the Constitution for due process that protects everybody who resides in America. This should not be an issue for Republicans or Democrats, this is an issue for every American who cares about our Constitution, who cares about personal liberty, who cares about due process, and who cares about what makes America so different, which is adherence to all of those things. This is an American issue.
(26:38)
Now, I just want to take a moment, I hadn't planned to do this, but as I was landing on the airplane, I got a transcript of some questions. President Trump was asked at the White House today about what I would call Margaritagate. I don't know if you guys have been following this, but President Bukele, after I met with Kilmar, did this tweet showing us at a table with these two glasses. So, here's what happened.
(27:13)
When I first sat down with Kilmar, we just had glasses of water on the table, I think maybe some coffee. And as we were talking, one of the government people came over and deposited two other glasses on the table, with ice, and I don't know if it was salt or sugar around the top, but they looked like margaritas. And if you look at the one they put in front of Kilmar, it actually had a little less liquid than the one in front of me, to try to make it look, I assume, like he drank out of it.
(27:50)
Let me just be very clear. Neither of us touched the drinks that were in front of us. And if you want to play a little Sherlock Holmes, I'll tell you how you can know that. So, if you look at the video or the picture I sent out from the beginning of our meeting, you'll see there are no glasses on the table. So you'll see in later videos there are on the table. But, they made a little mistake for some people who are very careful. If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was, salt or sugar, would disappear, you would see a gap. There's no gap. Nobody drank any margaritas, or sugar water, or whatever it is.
(28:30)
But this is a lesson into the lengths that President Bukele will do to deceive people about what's going on. And it also shows the lengths that the Trump Administration and the President will go to, because when he was asked about a reporter about this, he just went along for the ride. So, the White House and the President have been lying about this case from the beginning. They've been trying to change the subject from the beginning,. As I said, and the courts have said, from the Supreme Court to the Fourth Circuit to the District Court, what this is about is adhering to the Constitution, to the right of due process. And that's why we say, "Bring Kilmar home so he can be afforded his rights under the Constitution." That is what this is about.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
… don't have any idea the firestorm, his deportation has caused here in America?
Chris Van Hollen (29:33):
So I told him, it was the first he'd heard.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
If you can address the camera.
Chris Van Hollen (29:37):
Sure. The first he heard is that after I told him that his family was fighting for him, I told him everybody else that was fighting for him, including his union members, but also people from across Maryland, in fact across the country, who recognize that depriving Kilmar of his Constitutional rights is a threat to everybody who resides in America. He had not heard that. I believe that gave him additional strength.
Speaker 4 (30:06):
Senator, what did Abrego Garcia say that the officials in El Salvador told him about why he was sent to that prison, and how long he would be there?
Chris Van Hollen (30:15):
They haven't told him anything about why he was sent there.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
Or how long he would be there?
Chris Van Hollen (30:19):
They didn't tell him anything about that. In fact, I asked the Vice President exactly that question, "Why is he here? Is he violating any laws in El Salvador? Do you have any proof that he's committed a crime?" "No. Why is he here? Because the Trump Administration is paying us to keep him here."
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Did he say what he heard from other migrants that were also there, that were also deported to that prison?
Chris Van Hollen (30:43):
Did what, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (30:45):
Did he say what he had heard from others who were also deported to that prison?
Chris Van Hollen (30:49):
He did not know about what was happening in the outside world. And let me just say, at CECOT, I want to be really clear. At CECOT, they don't let any of the prisoners have access to the outside world. That's one of the conditions, one of the notorious parts of that prison, which by the way, is a blatant violation of international law, as I said when I was-
Speaker 3 (31:12):
You're the first person that can see a person that was in CECOT and that left CECOT even for a few minutes. What did he say about how it is being there? Because he's the first prisoner from CECOT that was outside, ever.
Chris Van Hollen (31:28):
Oh, as I think I said, what he said was that it was his best guess that most of the cells were packed with about 100 people. I asked him why. He said, "When they take roll call during the day, people have to call out their names from different cells." As I said, in his cell, I believe there were about 25 people, until he was moved. But, as I said, while he wasn't fearful of the other prisoners in his own cell, he was fearful about the taunts that he received from other prisoners in CECOT.
(32:13)
Go here and then here, sorry. Okay, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (32:21):
What do you think you've achieved with this trip, and what's next in terms of getting him actually to send back to the United States?
Chris Van Hollen (32:21):
Well, the first thing was to accomplish what his mother and family were really desperate to learn, which is that he's alive, and heard a thing about him. That for someone who's… He's obviously in a terrible situation. As I said, he's experienced trauma, he said he is sad every day. But, I think this persistence resulted in having this chance to meet with him to begin to get a little bit of his story, and I think it is the first step to ultimately bringing him home as the Constitution requires.
(33:08)
Go here, I'll go.
Speaker 5 (33:09):
Did you have a sense of his health, his wellbeing? Did you sense, get any indication that he'd been abused? Have you seen-
Chris Van Hollen (33:16):
I did not get that sense. Look, you never know, but I asked him if he was okay. He said yes. He said he has a blood pressure condition, he has seen a doctor. So, on a very cursory examination, he appeared okay. Now I will say, just to be clear, there was some negotiation about the terms of this meeting, and we were surrounded by video cameras. So, I do want to say that that was the setting he was in. I should also just say, I've mentioned the fake margarita scandal. They actually wanted to have the meeting by the side of the pool in the hotel. This is a guy who's been in CECOT, this is a guy who's been detained. They wanted to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which of course is a big fat lie.
Speaker 6 (34:21):
Senator, can I ask you, have you been having any conversations over the course of the last 48 hours that you've been busy in El Salvador, with Trump Administration officials? Was there any indication maybe with the Administration that they were more flexible than what they were saying publicly?
Chris Van Hollen (34:36):
I have not. I did have a meeting with folks at the American Embassy there. And I really want to applaud them and every member of the Foreign Service and State Department in El Salvador and everywhere around the world. I co-chair the Foreign Service Caucus, and I have a deep appreciation for what they do. I asked them if they had received any instruction from Washington to help facilitate the release of Kilmar. The answer was no. I asked them if they had made any attempt to reach out to him. The answer was no. So it's very clear that the President and the Trump Administration are blatantly, flagrantly disagreeing with, defying the order from the Supreme Court.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Senator, can you talk about who from the Salvadorean government contacted you to facilitate this meeting? You mentioned that there were terms associated with the meeting. Were you told not to reveal any details from the meeting until you came back to the United States. And were you at all concerned for your safety in and around this meeting taking place or at any point during your time in El Salvador?
Chris Van Hollen (35:50):
So I was not concerned about my safety at this meeting. And I will say, obviously there's a lot of uncertainty when you're approached by soldiers
Chris Van Hollen (36:00):
… soldiers and have your car pulled over to the side of the road and told you can't go any further. But I will say that the soldiers acted professionally in their encounter with me. They had their orders. They implemented their orders.
(36:15)
In terms of… I'm sorry, what was the-
Speaker 7 (36:18):
About the meeting, how the meeting came to be. Who contacted you?
Chris Van Hollen (36:20):
So, the meeting, they reached out to say that we'd meet the Salvadorian government. Look, in El Salvador, everything happens because Bukele says it could happen. And, if you look at the video he sent out right afterwards with the fake margaritas, you can see that all of that was a setup. Okay? So that's why. And, as to how I was notified, it was… Their message was transmitted to me through the embassy.
Speaker 8 (36:52):
Senator, in your meeting with the vice president, were you able to explain anything about the agreement that the United States-
Chris Van Hollen (36:54):
I'll go right here and then I'll go right there. Okay.
Speaker 9 (36:56):
Senator, the response from Republicans to your visit is that you care more to meet with Abrego Garcia than you do with Rachel Morin, who is the mother of a woman… a Maryland woman who died in your state. What is your response to that criticism specifically?
Chris Van Hollen (37:11):
Well, my response is that my heart goes out to the family of Rachel Morin. As I said at the time, my heart breaks for what happened to them. That should not happen to any family in America. And I'm very glad that a court of law convicted her killer and is going to punish her killer in a court of law. The reason we have courts of law are to punish the guilty, but also to make sure that those who have not committed crimes are not found guilty and arbitrarily detained. In other words, everybody has due process. So the effort by the Trump administration to try to conflate these two issues goes to the heart of what I was just talking about, their effort to change the subject.
(38:04)
But, again, to the Morin family, I… We have three children. I cannot imagine losing a child and the heartbreak that caused. And it should not happen. And my heart breaks for everybody in Maryland or America who has lost a loved one to violence regardless of the perpetrator.
Speaker 8 (38:26):
Senator, and you're meeting with the vice president, were you able to glean any information about the United States agreement with El Salvador related to the detention facility, the terms, how much we pay, if the government has any say, whatsoever, what happens inside [inaudible 00:38:41]?
Chris Van Hollen (38:42):
So I didn't learn that directly from the vice president, but I have learned about the commitments that have been made. The Trump administration has promised to pay El Salvador $15 million to detain these prisoners, including the illegally abducted Kilmar. My best information, and it's pretty good in the case to date, they paid out more than 4 million of that 15 million. As to the terms of an agreement, I've not seen an agreement. I don't know whether there is an agreement that specifically spells out the terms and conditions here. I am aware that there was some document that memorialized the payments, but, again, I do not know in any way if it goes through the details.
Speaker 10 (39:42):
Senator, have you [inaudible 00:39:43].
Speaker 11 (39:43):
Senator, what's the next step here in light of the defiance [inaudible 00:39:47] defiance from the Trump administration? What does Congress do?
Chris Van Hollen (39:50):
So everybody asks those of us who are Democratic senators whether there's any bottom line where Republican senators will say, "Enough is enough," and won't simply become… won't simply continue to be rubber stamps for the Trump administration. So far, we haven't hit the bottom. In this case, we have what I believe is an outright defiance of the Supreme Court. People still may want to hang their hat on the fact that it hasn't been completely adjudicated. As you know, the Federal District Court Judge has ordered depositions of the administration officials. The Trump administration appealed it. That's what the Fourth Circuit decision was all about. That may well go to the Supreme Court. I don't know if the Trump administration's appealing that. So the question is is there any point when the president is violating the Constitution of the United States that Republicans will stand up for the Constitution rather than just continue to do the bidding of the Trump administration?
Speaker 11 (40:57):
[inaudible 00:40:57] Democrats are powerless?
Chris Van Hollen (40:58):
When it comes to Congress. But let me say something on that, not totally powerless because appropriations need to go through the Congress. And, that $15 million, you can be sure we're going to be looking for where it is because that wasn't authorized in previous appropriations. We're operating under a continuing resolution. Now, they may try to pretend they can transfer that, but there's some indication that they were planning anyway until now to make that as part of their request. And you can be sure that I won't support the use of one penny of taxpayer dollars to keep Abrego Garcia illegally detained in El Salvador. And so, as part of that process, yes, Democrats, at least in the Senate, has some sway.
(41:52)
Now, I will say… I want to say something about the government of El Salvador. They are making a huge mistake. They want to brand themselves as a country for technology. The president said Bitcoin is legal tender, but, now, what they're branding themselves as, as the place for these huge prisons where people who are illegally deducted, excuse me, illegally abducted are warehoused, that is not a good look.
(42:24)
There are also other things Americans can do with respect to economic pressure on El Salvador. People can stop traveling there. Actually, tourism has been going up. They can stop traveling there. There may be states that decide they don't want any of their pension funds invested in companies that invest in a place like El Salvador. So there are many things that can be done. And I just urge the president of El Salvador or the vice president of El Salvador to rethink whether they want to become the place that just gets paid off for being complicit in this illegal scheme.
Speaker 12 (43:04):
Senator, [inaudible 00:43:07] your party's leadership [inaudible 00:43:08]?
Speaker 13 (43:07):
Have you talked to your colleagues about your plan to go down [inaudible 00:43:10]?
Chris Van Hollen (43:07):
What? Okay. We'll do-
Speaker 13 (43:09):
What [inaudible 00:43:10].
Chris Van Hollen (43:10):
We'll do two more. We'll do two more right here.
Speaker 14 (43:14):
Senator, why did the Salvadoran government reverse itself on allowing you to meet with Mr. Abrego Garcia after telling you no? And, also, do you have a sense of why the government transferred Mr. Abrego Garcia from CECOT to this other prison in Santa Ana?
Chris Van Hollen (43:30):
Yep. Well, I think the reason they relented is pretty clear. They were feeling the pressure. I mean, they were feeling the pressure because, while I was in El Salvador, we had two major press conferences that included the local press who reported on this, and I think that they decided that it was not a good look to continue to detain Abrego Garcia without anybody having access to him. There's no other explanation for the fact that they said, "No. No. No. No. No," and then prevented us from going to the prison, so that's why.
(44:14)
I'm sorry, what was the second part of your question?
Speaker 14 (44:15):
The second part, why and… well, no… Why did they transfer him from CECOT to the other big prison in Santa Ana?
Chris Van Hollen (44:25):
Oh, well, I mean, number one, I will say my main request was to meet with him. And, as I said, he's no longer at CECOT. He's at a different prison which is pretty far outside of San Salvador. But, in addition to that, I didn't even know that. I mean, so as… We all thought he was at CECOT. I mean, until I met with him, I thought… That's why I tried to go to CECOT, so I think that's why they brought him. He wasn't… They brought him to see me.
Speaker 15 (44:53):
Do you think [inaudible 00:44:54]?
Speaker 16 (44:53):
Senator, what [inaudible 00:44:54] your party is taking to prevent deportations like this?
Speaker 15 (44:54):
Do you think that the White House was involved at all in facilitating this meeting or [inaudible 00:45:05]-
Chris Van Hollen (45:05):
I do not.
Speaker 15 (45:05):
… administration?
Chris Van Hollen (45:05):
I do not.
Speaker 15 (45:06):
Do you think-
Chris Van Hollen (45:07):
I have no basis for that.
Speaker 17 (45:08):
Have you spoken to any of your colleagues who say that they plan to go down now that the president has seemed to shut the door? He lets you meet with him, but he said he's going back to detention and will not return. Have you spoken to them, and what do they hope to accomplish going forward?
Chris Van Hollen (45:20):
So I've told the vice president of El Salvador that I may be the first senator member of Congress to be in El Salvador, to come down to El Salvador, but I won't be the last. And there are others coming. I've got to give them a call after this meeting to brief them on my trip. But this goes back to the fact that El Salvador is making a big mistake, the president of El Salvador is making a big mistake in being complicit in this illegal scheme.
Speaker 17 (45:50):
How long did you meet him for? How long did sit down-
Chris Van Hollen (45:51):
We met for over half an hour. There was no-
Speaker 16 (45:54):
About an hour?
Chris Van Hollen (45:54):
An hour. An hour.
Speaker 17 (45:54):
Senator, what else can your Democratic colleagues do to prevent future illegal deportations like this?
Speaker 16 (45:58):
You mentioned the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?
Chris Van Hollen (46:02):
Last one. Yep. Yes.
Speaker 16 (46:03):
Do you think that El Salvador is a party to that? Do you think that your mentioning that is part of what facilitates-
Chris Van Hollen (46:07):
I think it could have been a factor because they are in blatant violation of that requirement, that international law requirement not only in this case, but actually in all of these cases because, as I said, the policy at that prison, CECOT, is to have no communication, not with your lawyer, not with their family, with nobody. That is a violation of international law. And, as I mentioned, El Salvador is a signatory to that.
(46:36)
Thank you all very much for being here and [inaudible 00:46:38].
Speaker 18 (46:38):
[inaudible 00:46:38]. Thank you.
Chris Van Hollen (46:38):
[inaudible 00:46:47].
Speaker 18 (47:01):
It's okay. You are busy. [inaudible 00:47:02]. I was born in Santa Ana. Yes, and I [inaudible 00:47:02].
Speaker 19 (47:01):
Thank you.
Chris Van Hollen (47:01):
Thank you.
