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Meet the Press

Meet the Press NOW — April 18

Meet the Press

NBC News

Policy, Campaign, 2018, Nbc, Debate, 2016, Analysis, Political, Government, Meet The Press, Democrats, Washington, News, Russert, White House, Congress, Democratic Presidential Debate, Elections, Republicans, News Commentary, 2018 Midterms, Democratic Primary, Chuck Todd, Issues, Politics, President, 2020, Road To 2020, Primary Election, 2020 Election, Public

3.63.8K Ratings

🗓️ 18 April 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) returns from El Salvador after meeting with mistakenly deported Maryland man Kilmar Abrigo Garcia. The senator spoke about protecting constitutional rights and urged El Salvador not to be complicit in the detention that violates the U.S. Supreme Court. Shelby Talcott, Symone Sanders Townsend and Rick Tyler join the Meet the Press NOW panel.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If it's Friday, Senator Chris Van Hollen is set to speak to reporters about his meeting with Kilmar-Abrego-Garcia in El Salvador,

0:10.5

as the White House takes new steps towards deporting more migrants using wartime powers.

0:15.7

Plus new details on the deadly school shooting at Florida State University that killed two people and injured six

0:21.5

others, including the suspected shooter's ties to the community and the police force.

0:26.8

And the U.S. seeming to issue an ultimatum, with President Trump and Secretary Rubio warning

0:32.8

the U.S. could walk away from efforts to help peacefully end the war in Ukraine if there isn't progress

0:38.4

in negotiations soon.

0:51.9

Welcome to meet the press now.

0:53.2

I'm Kristen Welker in Washington.

0:54.8

We're any minute now we are expecting to hear from Senator Chris Van Hollen after he arrives back in the U.S. from El Salvador.

1:01.7

In the case of the mistakenly deported Maryland man is now both a legal battle and a political one.

1:07.4

The White House accusing Democrats of prioritizing, quote, the welfare of an illegal

1:12.4

alien MS-13 terrorists and Democrats decrying the Trump administration for ignoring due

1:18.4

process and the rule of law. Last night, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen shared this photo

1:23.3

online of him sitting down with Kilmar Abraal Garcia. The El Salvadoran migrant mistakenly

1:29.1

deported last month and detained in a notorious mega prison. The White House claims Abrago

1:34.6

Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which his lawyers and family deny. El Salvador's

1:40.7

president mocked the meeting in social media posts, and the Trump administration insists Sabrego Garcia will not be coming home

1:47.6

despite a Supreme Court order for the White House to facilitate his return to the U.S.

1:52.5

Prior to their meeting, Senator Van Hollen framed the issue of a matter of due process.

1:59.1

What this is about is stripping an individual of his rights to due process.

2:05.2

And if you can do this for this individual, the rest of us watch out. A lot is at stake for

...

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