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Trump administration has $15M deal with El Salvador to accept deportees, MD senator says

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Trump administration has M deal with El Salvador to accept deportees, MD senator says

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen flew into Dulles Airport on Friday after visiting a wrongly deported man in El Salvador. The senator says he learned that the Trump administration struck a $15 million deal with the Central American nation to take deportees from the United States.

According to Van Hollen, Abrego Garcia been moved to a new detention facility in El Salvador. He says Abrego Garcia says he is well and that his family is keeping him motivated to keep going. 

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But a major development came out of Van Hollen’s visit to El Salvador. 

The senator reported — for the first time — that he believes there is a $15 million deal between the United States government and El Salvador related to the detention facility where Abrego Garcia and many other deportees from the U.S. were being held. 

Van Hollen says he plans to investigate the use of taxpayer dollars in that deal as he continues to fight for Abrego Garcia’s return.

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According to Van Hollen, Abrego Garcia asked for a phone call when he was placed in a Maryland detention facility but was denied. Then he was transferred to a facility in Texas before being put on a plane handcuffed, shackled, and he could not see out the window and did not know where he was going.  

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Abrego Garcia says he has been traumatized by being at the detention center but he was recently moved to a new facility with better conditions.

Abrego Garcia told Van Hollen that he is not afraid of the other men in his immediate detention cell but he is fearful of other prisoners in the facility who called out to him and taunted him. 

The reason an immigration judge ruled in 2019 that he could not be deported to El Salvador was because he demonstrated a credible fear of persecution if he returned.

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“An immigration judge found years ago that it would put his life in danger if he was returned to El Salvador,” Van Hollen said. “He was given protective status and a work permit.”
 

The other side:

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Meanwhile, the White House continues to assert that he will not return to the United States.

Following Abrego Garcia’s deportation back in March, the Trump administration admitted that sending him back to El Salvador was an “error” but they won’t do anything to bring him back, even after a Supreme Court ruled that they should facilitate his return. 

READ MORE: Trump administration says US can’t force return of man mistakenly deported to El Salvador

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Both Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele maintain that they have no plans to bring Abrego Garcia back.

The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed Abrego Garcia is a criminal and a member of the violent MS-13 gang, but has yet to provide direct evidence of those claims. 

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The White House also insists Abrego Garcia was in the states illegally, despite the 2019 court ruling determining he should not be deported.

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Tehran says ‘no plans’ for new talks after US seizes Iranian cargo ship

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Tehran says ‘no plans’ for new talks after US seizes Iranian cargo ship

US negotiators to head to Pakistan and Iranian cargo ship seized – a recappublished at 00:37 BST 20 April

Image source, Reuters
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Tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday

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Here’s a recap of the latest developments.

US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday with the intention of holding further talks on ending the war, Trump says – but Iranian state media cites unnamed officials as saying Tehran has “no plans for now to participate”.

The prospect of further high-level negotiations – a White House official says Vice-President JD Vance will attend – comes amid reports of fresh attacks on commercial vessels.

Trump says the navy intercepted and took “custody” of an Iranian tanker attempting to pass through the US blockade, “blowing a hole” in the ship’s engine room in the process.

Earlier, in the same post announcing his representatives would travel for more talks, Trump renewed his threat to destroy Iranian energy sites and bridges if no deal is reached.

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Reports in Iranian media over the weekend suggest Iran is continuing to work on plans to potentially apply a toll to ships passing through the strait – although it’s unclear if such a move will be implemented.

Iranian state TV cites unnamed officials as saying that “continuation of the so-called naval blockade, violation of the ceasefire and threatening US rhetoric” are slowing progress in reaching an agreement.

Trump also accused Iran of violating the ceasefire, saying more commercial ships have been attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

A UK maritime agency reported two commercial ships came under fire in the strait on Saturday.

Iran’s foreign minister had said on Friday that the strait would be opened – which was shortly followed by Trump saying the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a deal is reached. Iran has since said the strait is closed again.

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Video: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say

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Video: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say

new video loaded: 8 Children Killed in Louisiana Shooting, Police Say

A gunman shot 10 people, killing eight children, in a domestic violence shooting at multiple locations in Shreveport, La., the police said. The victims ranged in age from 1 to 14. The gunman was later fatally shot by officers.

By Christina Kelso

April 19, 2026

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Communities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest

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Communities launch cleanup after severe weather and tornadoes churn across Midwest

An aerial view shows damage from a tornado, on Saturday in Lena, Ill.

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Communities across the Upper Midwest are cleaning up after tornadoes and severe weather impacted the region over the weekend, damaging and destroying dozens of homes and knocking out power for tens of thousands.

“Numerous” severe storms were tracked across parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. At least 66 tornado reports were submitted in multiple states including Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa, the NWS Quad Cities IA/IL office said Sunday.

No deaths have been reported from the severe weather and tornado outbreak.

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In Marion Township in Minnesota, about 30 homes were damaged and a dozen have significant damage because of a tornado, according to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. The tornado also damaged at least 20 homes in Stewartville and there is a temporary shelter in Rochester for people displaced by the storms, according to MPR News.

“Tornado disaster recovery continues to occur at full speed,” the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday.

In Illinois, McClean County officials declared a disaster emergency because of severe storms in Bloomington. “At this time, no injuries have been reported, and emergency response agencies remain actively engaged to ensure public safety and continuity of essential services,” officials said in a statement.

But further north in the village of Lena, an EF-2 tornado caused the “most significant damage” where “many homes and outbuildings were damaged, trees uprooted, and power lines downed,” the NWS said. Numerous roads have also been blocked by debris, the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office also said.

People continue to clean up following tornado on April 18, 2026 in Lena, Illinois.

People continue to clean up following a tornado, on Saturday in Lena, Ill.

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There have been no fatalities and no reports of serious injuries associated with the storm, Chief Deputy Andy Schroeder from the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office told NPR on Sunday.

More than 43,000 customers lost power in Illinois but power was restored to almost all of them by Saturday night, according to electric utility ComEd.

Several tornadoes also occurred across Wisconsin, according to the NWS office in La Crosse. Twenty-six tornado warnings were issued by the office on Friday, the most in one day since the weather service office was built in 1995.

In one Marathon County town, 75 homes were destroyed by a tornado, according to Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman.

“It took out a whole residential area,” Kielman said, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

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The American Red Cross of Wisconsin said volunteers are helping those impacted by the storm with meals, shelter and support.

Parts of the state are still dealing with multiple rounds of severe weather and tornadoes from earlier in the week that brought flooding to some communities.

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