A Maryland congressman was stopped last week from visiting a wrongly deported constituent in El Salvador, leaving a family in pain and a community seeking answers. Rep. Glenn Ivey’s blocked attempt to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia, held in a Salvadoran prison, highlights a father’s ordeal and a deportation gone wrong.

On May 28, Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat, went to El Salvador to meet Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Maryland resident for 15 years. Deported in March 2025 despite a 2019 court protection, he’s detained in El Salvador’s CECOT prison, known for gang inmates. Ivey, cleared by U.S. officials, was denied entry, told to get a permit in San Salvador, hours away. “They knew our mission but stopped us,” Ivey said. The Supreme Court ordered his return in April, citing an “error,” but he remains detained.

Abel Nuñez of CARECEN, with Ivey, said, “This is about a family’s life.” Jennifer Vasquez Sura, Abrego Garcia’s U.S.-citizen wife, said, “My kids need their dad.” The Trump administration calls him MS-13, citing a 2020 protective order Vasquez Sura filed, which she disputes. His lawyers deny gang ties, pointing to his clean record and job as a sheet metal apprentice.

ICE detained Abrego Garcia on March 12 while driving with his son in Maryland. Despite protection from gang threats in El Salvador, he was deported under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act in a gang sweep. The U.S. paid El Salvador $6 million to hold deportees, per records. Sen. Chris Van Hollen met him in April after barriers. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has refused his release, calling it “out of the question.”

Vasquez Sura and her three kids are struggling. “My son cries for Dad,” she said. Maryland’s Latino community, via CARECEN, is upset. “Kilmar’s a father,” said neighbor Juan. Democrats, like Rep. Jamie Raskin, call it a legal breach, while Republicans, like Rep. Jason Smith, support the deportation, citing safety. Courts find no gang evidence, escalating the debate.

The impact is stark. Abrego Garcia risks harm in CECOT, despite eased conditions, with human rights groups flagging abuses. The Supreme Court’s ignored order, per Justice Sonia Sotomayor, risks due process. Maryland, hit by a 2023 crime, is split on safety and fairness.

Ivey will keep fighting, urging Trump to step in. Democrats plan more visits, while the administration’s Karoline Leavitt says Abrego Garcia “stays deported.” As legal battles drag on, Vasquez Sura’s family clings to hope, their resolve a call for a community seeking fairness.

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