While some politicians focus on protecting America’s borders, others seem busy securing the borders of other nations entirely. It’s like watching a homeowner ignore their own leaking roof while obsessing over landscaping their neighbor’s yard. The ongoing saga surrounding a deported Salvadoran immigrant has created a firestorm of controversy in Washington, with Democrats and Republicans squaring off over immigration enforcement priorities. The case has sparked outrage across party lines, with tensions reaching new heights after a recent congressional trip.

The controversy centers around Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who entered the United States illegally in 2011 and remained despite a 2019 deportation order. According to Homeland Security Investigations, Prince George’s County Police Gang Unit identified Abrego Garcia as a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, and a separate HSI report noted he was suspected of human trafficking after a Tennessee Highway Patrol encounter in December 2022.

When Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen announced he was traveling to El Salvador to meet with the deported Abrego Garcia, Republican criticism was swift. But it was Georgia Republican Representative Mike Collins who took the opposition to a new level.

Collins shared a photo on social media showing Sen. Van Hollen’s office door plaque altered to indicate the Maryland senator now represents El Salvador rather than his home state.

From Fox News:
“Hey [Sen. Van Hollen], I went ahead and changed your office plaque for you,” Collins wrote in a post that included a photo of Van Hollen’s nameplate edited to show “El Salvador” instead of “Maryland.”

Hey @ChrisVanHollen, I went ahead and changed your office plaque for you. pic.twitter.com/jNMKnbCWw3

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) April 18, 2025

The visual stunt quickly went viral, garnering tens of thousands of likes and shares as Republicans piled on with their criticism of Van Hollen’s priorities. Collins had previously labeled the Democrat’s actions “traitorous” after Van Hollen posted a photo of himself meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.

President Donald Trump joined the chorus of critics, writing on Truth Social that “Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the fake news media, or anyone.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz sarcastically commented, “Find someone who looks at you the way Democrat senators look at illegal alien MS-13 gang members.”

Missing Priorities

Perhaps the most damning criticism came from Maryland Republican Congressman Andy Harris, who contrasted Van Hollen’s advocacy for Abrego Garcia with his apparent lack of concern for victims of illegal immigrant crime in his own state. “Imagine if Sen. Van Hollen cared as much about the families of Rachel Morin and Kayla Hamilton,” Harris wrote, referencing two Maryland women murdered by illegal immigrants.

The contrast became even starker when President Trump hosted Angel Mom Patty Morin at the White House this week. Morin’s daughter Rachel was beaten, raped, and killed in Maryland by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador in 2023. According to Patty Morin, Van Hollen never contacted her after her daughter’s murder. Really think about that for a moment – a senator has time to fly internationally to comfort a deported gang member but couldn’t pick up the phone to call a grieving mother in his own state?

The social media account Libs of TikTok highlighted this disconnect by posting a blank image with the caption, “Here’s an image of Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen meeting with Rachel Morin’s family who was murdered by an illegal in his state.” Ouch. Sometimes the most devastating criticism requires no words at all.

Foreign Policy Interference

Despite Van Hollen’s demands that Abrego Garcia be returned to America, and despite some U.S. courts ordering the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has stated the deported illegal alien has the “honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.”

The spectacle of an American senator traveling internationally to advocate for an illegal immigrant with alleged gang ties while crime victims in his own state receive no such attention perfectly encapsulates the backwards priorities that have defined Democratic immigration policies. I’m left wondering: who exactly are these elected officials representing?

Collins’ office plaque stunt may have been a simple prank, but it visually represents what many conservatives see as a fundamental truth: some Democratic lawmakers seem more interested in representing foreign nationals than American citizens. As illegal immigrant crime continues to devastate American communities, these misplaced priorities aren’t just bad politics – they’re dangerous policy.

When senators are busy sipping what El Salvador’s president described as “margaritas” with deported illegal immigrants instead of consoling the mothers of murdered constituents, perhaps Collins’ plaque edit wasn’t so far from the truth after all. Maybe it’s time for voters to do some “editing” of their own at the ballot box.

Key Takeaways

• Rep. Mike Collins altered Sen. Van Hollen’s office plaque to show “El Salvador” instead of “Maryland,” highlighting Democrats’ misplaced priorities on immigration.
• While Van Hollen advocated for a deported MS-13 gang member, President Trump met with the mother of an American murdered by an illegal immigrant.
• El Salvador’s President Bukele refused Van Hollen’s demands, stating Abrego Garcia would remain in Salvadoran custody despite Democratic pressure.
• Democrats continue prioritizing foreign nationals over American victims, with Van Hollen never contacting the families of Maryland residents killed by illegal immigrants.

Sources: Fox News, The Daily Signal