The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) lampooned Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador to aid deportee and alleged gang member Kilmar Garcia in an ad Tuesday, while appearing to foreshadow more potential trips from members of the upper chamber’s minority party.
“¡Bienvenidos a El Salvador Senate Dems!,” the NRSC said in a statement.
“Democrats should feel free to make their trip to hang out with MS-13 gangbangers one-way.”
In the ad, a video mimicking a typical beachy tourism ad plays as the narrator begins, “Welcome to El Salvador.”
NOT A MARYLAND MAN: GOP BLASTS DEMOCRAT SENATOR FIGHTING FOR RETURN OF SALVADORAN NATIONAL
Five Democratic lawmakers have so far traveled to El Salvador, pictured. (Getty/Fox News Graphics Dept.)
“Home to breathtaking sunsets, world-class surf breaks – and gangbanger Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
The narrator goes on to call the country “THE destination (emphasis theirs) for Democrats seeking the thrill of bringing violent criminal illegal aliens back to America.”
Van Hollen had sought to negotiate the release of Garcia so he could accompany the lawmaker back to Maryland, where his family lives. Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen.
“Come witness Trump Derangement Syndrome in its purest form,” the narrator adds.
“From Chris Van Hollen to Cory Booker; you may even see Jon Ossoff.”
KILMAR GARCIA NOW GETS 5 TOTAL DEM PROPONENTS IN EL SALVADOR
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, accompanied by, from left, Cesar Abrego Garcia, Cecilia Garcia and Jennifer Vasquez Sura, speaks during a news conference upon his arrival from meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, at Washington Dulles International Airport, on April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Booker did not respond to requests for comment both last week and on Monday after the ad was released.
A spokesperson for Ossoff told Fox News Digital: “Sen. Ossoff has not traveled and is not traveling to El Salvador.”
The ad continued:
“So what are you waiting for, Senate Democrats? Join your colleagues, and step into the rhythm of rescue today,” the ad concludes with “Rhythm of Rescue” in wavy blue text superimposed on a coastal scene.
Nearby Colombia recently utilized the tourism slogan “Feel the Rhythm.”
Since Van Hollen returned to the U.S. without Garcia, four Democratic House members: Reps. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Robert Garcia of California, and Maxwell Frost of Florida made a joint trip to San Salvador.
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Homeland Security released new documents this week that it says definitively prove Abrego Garcia, who is imprisoned in El Salvador after his deportation from the U.S., is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which his lawyers deny.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said at the White House earlier this month it would be “preposterous” to send Garcia to the U.S., which he did not originally enter legally.