Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is "doubling down on stupid" with his press conferences about the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said.
"I don't know what the audience is other than people who are relatives of folks who are here illegally or folks who are illegally in this country," Santorum said Friday during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
"Because most people understand that when you have two deportation orders, when you're a member of a criminal gang, when you have been suspected of criminal activity, that these are not people that should be in this country. And these are exactly the people that [President] Donald Trump said he was going to target," he added.
"It's the people that the people in the United States want to be targeted, and to go out there and try to make this man a sympathetic figure, I just think is a losing argument.
"And I know Republicans are cheering Chris Van Hollen on, saying, go, boy."
Van Hollen held an airport press conference after returning to the Washington area from El Salvador. He stood next to Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer, who wiped away tears as Van Hollen shared some of her husband's comments about missing his family.
The senator, however, emphasized repeatedly to reporters that the case transcends the question of Abrego Garcia's immigration status.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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