When Political Theater Replaces Duty: Senator Van Hollen’s Trip to El Salvador and the Priorities Problem in Washington

Imagine being a hardworking American citizen—raising your family, paying your taxes, trying to stay afloat amid skyrocketing inflation and rising crime—only to watch your elected leaders board a plane to El Salvador, not to fight for you, but to demand the return of a man with criminal ties, deported by U.S. authorities, to American soil.

That’s not fiction. It’s what Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is actually doing this week.

Van Hollen announced he is willing to fly to El Salvador to personally "check on the condition" of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a man the Justice Department acknowledged was mistakenly deported—if he isn’t returned to the United States by midweek. And he’s not going alone. Progressive lawmakers like Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., and Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., have joined the chorus, ready to make the trip in a united display of what can only be described as political theater.

Let’s be clear: Garcia is not a U.S. citizen. He is a Salvadoran national with a criminal record. While the Supreme Court recently instructed the administration to “facilitate” his return based on a 2019 immigration ruling, the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has said unequivocally: “Of course I’m not going to do it.”

Bukele hit the nail on the head when he asked, sarcastically, “How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?” It’s not only illegal—it’s insulting to international law and national sovereignty to suggest that any foreign leader smuggle a citizen into another country.

But here’s the kicker: While American cities reel from crime waves and the border crisis continues to rage, lawmakers like Van Hollen have chosen to prioritize the return of a deported Salvadoran national instead of fighting for the security and dignity of the American people.

This is not compassion. It’s political performance dressed up as virtue.

Where is this same urgency when American veterans sleep on the streets? Where is this resolve when families lose children to fentanyl pouring across our open border? When did the role of a U.S. senator shift from defending American citizens to staging international PR stunts?

The American people see through it.

They see the hypocrisy of a Congress that stays silent when innocent Americans are left behind in foreign nations, but springs into action when the chance for media attention arises. They see the double standard where “justice” is doled out based on political expedience, not principle.

And most of all, they see that these lawmakers are no longer listening.

This issue taps into a deeper frustration felt across the country—that the government no longer represents the will of the people. The job of an elected official is not to push a personal moral crusade. It is to represent the interests of their constituents. If the people of Maryland are demanding open borders and preferential treatment for foreign nationals, fine. But we suspect they’re more concerned with jobs, crime, and education.

Even more telling is how the left treats disagreement. When conservatives call for border security or respect for the law, they’re branded xenophobic. When Elon Musk supports free speech, he’s suddenly vilified by the same people who championed his electric car revolution just a few years ago. The rules of right and wrong seem to change with the wind.

Today, it’s noble to bring back a deported foreign national. Tomorrow, it might be noble to silence political opposition. There is no compass—only chaos masquerading as compassion.

The Constitution is not a prop. It is a contract between the government and its people—a blueprint designed to protect liberty, preserve law, and ensure justice. But that contract only works when those in power take it seriously.

Instead of posturing overseas, lawmakers like Senator Van Hollen should recommit themselves to the people who hired them. America doesn’t need more political tourism. We need leadership grounded in truth, principle, and accountability.

Enough with the theater. It’s time for Washington to remember who they serve.

#AmericaFirst, #RuleOfLaw, #SecureTheBorder, #PoliticalTheater, #ConstitutionMatters, #ServeAmericans, #StopTheHypocrisy, #917Society, #ElSalvadorTrip, #WashingtonGoneWrong