As the political winds shift once again in Washington, a quiet but deliberate voice is beginning to rise above the noise. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, long known for his measured tone and methodical approach, has stepped onto center stage in what many see as the next phase of the Democratic Party's resistance to former President Donald Trump’s return to national prominence.
For months, the Democratic leadership has spun in what some call a carousel—figures rising and falling as they attempt to unify the party and form a credible counter to Trump’s aggressive political style. But Van Hollen’s recent move, a highly visible trip to El Salvador, has thrust him into the spotlight with a fresh kind of moral authority.
His mission was simple but symbolically significant: to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man deported in defiance of court orders, whose case has become a litmus test for how far Trump’s administration will push the boundaries of presidential power.
The Maryland senator’s journey covered 2,000 miles, not for a campaign rally or diplomatic summit, but for a face-to-face meeting with a man caught in the crosshairs of policy, politics, and constitutional crisis. Though Van Hollen did not secure Abrego Garcia’s release, his presence alone sent ripples through the anti-Trump movement.
"Sen. Van Hollen’s leadership in this moment is exactly how Democrats should be pushing back against a wannabe dictator like Donald Trump," said Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin. "Calling for law and order over chaos and adhering to the Constitution instead of a tyrant."
Van Hollen’s actions have resonated far beyond Maryland. For many progressives and centrists alike, his trip was more than an act of protest—it was a public statement that the Constitution is not a suggestion and that those in power must be held accountable for how they treat even the most vulnerable.
"This isn’t just about immigration," Van Hollen said in an interview. "This is about whether we’re going to have a president who follows the law. If we let this slide, it doesn’t stop here."
Abrego Garcia, who came to the United States at age sixteen, had been living in Maryland with his wife and three U.S. citizen children. An immigration judge in 2019 granted him legal protection, and he had a valid work permit.
Still, he was deported to El Salvador earlier this year in what the administration initially described as a bureaucratic mistake. Since then, officials have pivoted, claiming Abrego Garcia has gang affiliations, though he has never been charged with any crimes.
Trump allies have embraced that narrative. White House adviser Stephen Miller went so far as to say, "Van Hollen’s heart is reserved for an illegal alien who’s a member of a foreign terrorist organization." Representative Tom Emmer, a Republican from Minnesota, accused Democrats of choosing to "represent the illegal aliens against the very constituents, the U.S. citizens, that they’re supposed to be protecting."
When pressed repeatedly during a television interview, Emmer declined to say whether he supported Trump’s suggestion that American citizens convicted of serious crimes should be sent to foreign prisons like those in El Salvador. That silence was deafening to some, and Van Hollen was quick to address it.
"I don’t think it’s ever wrong to fight for the constitutional rights of one person, because if we give up on one person’s rights we threaten everybody’s rights," he said on CNN. "Anyone who’s not prepared to stand up and fight for the Constitution doesn’t deserve to lead."
That statement, though quietly delivered, carried weight. It stood in contrast to what many progressives describe as the overly cautious stance of more prominent Democratic leaders.
Figures like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have drawn criticism from activists for not being aggressive enough in confronting Trump’s sweeping actions on immigration, education, and labor.
"There’s a leadership vacuum," said Ezra Levin, co-founder of the progressive group Indivisible. "People are looking for someone who doesn’t just say the right thing, but does something bold. And right now, Chris Van Hollen is doing that."
Van Hollen’s sudden rise among progressive activists is being compared to moments shared by other resistance-era figures like Senator Cory Booker, who recently gave a 25-hour speech on the Senate floor to protest Trump’s university funding cuts, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has been touring the country with Senator Bernie Sanders on their “Stop Oligarchy” campaign.
Still, not everyone on the left is united in support. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the emphasis on Abrego Garcia’s case, calling it "the distraction of the day." He argued that focusing too much on immigration fights lets the GOP avoid accountability for Trump’s economic policies, particularly tariffs that have disrupted global trade.
Despite the pushback, Van Hollen’s profile is growing. On the same Sunday he returned from El Salvador, he appeared on five major political news shows. In each appearance, he stayed on message, refusing to shift focus away from the constitutional concerns raised by the deportation and Trump’s broader legal behavior.
"My whole point here is if you deprive one man of his constitutional rights, you threaten the constitutional rights of everybody," Van Hollen said during an interview on Fox News Sunday. "I’m not vouching for the individual. I’m vouching for his rights under the Constitution."
The federal courts seem to agree. Just days earlier, a three-judge appellate panel issued a harsh rebuke of the administration’s deportation tactics. In their ruling, they stated, "The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order."
For Van Hollen, a seasoned but often low-profile senator, the moment may mark a turning point. He has spent two decades in Congress, serving in both chambers and leading the campaign arms of the Democratic Party in the House and Senate. Yet he has never run for president, nor has he shown much interest in the spotlight. Until now.
Whether this new role as a frontline resistance leader is temporary or part of a broader political transformation remains to be seen. But for many Democrats looking for leadership that is both principled and practical, Van Hollen is suddenly someone to watch.
He has shown a willingness to take risks, both politically and personally. Traveling to El Salvador to confront a controversial case head-on would not have been without potential consequences. Yet it’s precisely that courage that has begun to inspire others.
As Levin from Indivisible put it, "Courage is impressive and contagious."
For a party still trying to define itself in the post-Biden, post-Trump world, that kind of courage may be exactly what is needed.
