Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a sheet metal worker from Maryland, was unjustly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Maryland judge calls on US to return wrongly deported man
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to assist Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return, a federal judge provided additional instructions.
- “The question is outrageous,” stated Bukele.
- The Supreme Court recently mandated the Trump administration to enable the return of Garcia, who had called the U.S. home for over a decade.
WASHINGTON − El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele indicated he has no intent to return a wrongfully deported Maryland man back to the U.S. despite a Supreme Court ruling mandating the Trump administration to assist in his return.
Bukele remarked during a meeting with President Donald Trump that he cannot return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father and sheet metal worker from Maryland, whom he refers to as a terrorist.
“How am I supposed to send him back to the United States? Am I going to smuggle him back in? Absolutely not. Such a question is absurd,” Bukele expressed. “I lack the authority to return him. We are not inclined to welcome terrorists into our country.”
“To free 350 million individuals, some must be incarcerated. That’s simply how it works,” Bukele told Trump. Abrego Garcia has not faced terrorism charges.
Supreme Court Proceedings
Abrego Garcia is central to a legal dispute under the Trump administration after a court determined he was unjustly deported to a supermax facility in El Salvador, where alleged members of MS-13 and the Tren de Aragua gang are detained.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration is required to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, as he had resided in the U.S. for ten years.
A federal judge instructed Trump officials on Friday to provide updates regarding efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, expressing concern that they were unable to disclose his current location. However, on Saturday, the Trump administration responded in a federal court document, asserting that while Abrego Garcia is “alive and secure,” his detention is under the “sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”
‘Dependent on El Salvador’
White House deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller, who also acts as the homeland security adviser, refrained from confirming on Monday morning if Trump would request Bukele to send Abrego Garcia back to the U.S.
“He does not hold any legal right to be in the U.S. He has been issued a final order of removal, thus the fate of their citizens lies with the government and the people of El Salvador,” Miller conveyed to reporters. “We cannot extradite citizens from foreign nations against the will of those nations.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the deportations as a “clear consequence for high-level criminals” during comments made during the meeting.
The Trump administration contended that although the Supreme Court indicated it was the U.S.’s duty to facilitate his return, it did not require immediate action.
“Ultimately, it is El Salvador’s decision whether they choose to return him,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday during Trump’s discussion with Bukele.
In a letter dated Sunday, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland, requested a meeting with Bukele to address Abrego Garcia’s situation. He stated he would journey to El Salvador this week if Abrego Garcia is not returned to the U.S. by midweek.
The Supreme Court mandated the Trump administration to ensure Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and guarantee his situation is managed as if he had not been erroneously deported. However, it questioned whether a lower court’s instruction for the administration to “effectuate” his return was overly extensive and possibly exceeded its authority.
“The Government should be ready to disclose what it can regarding the actions it has undertaken and the potential for further measures,” the Supreme Court noted in its opinion.
Trump acknowledged an ‘administrative error’ in the deportation of Abrego Garcia
Bukele has made the CECOT, known for its brutality, available for the Trump administration to detain over 270 individuals accused of being affiliated with the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked on X that another 10 “criminals from the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua Foreign Terrorist Organizations” had arrived in El Salvador recently.
The Trump administration previously attributed Abrego Garcia’s deportation to an “administrative error,” according to court filings.
After a plane transporting Abrego Garcia and other detainees departed the U.S. in mid-March, a federal judge in a related case temporarily halted the deportation, commanding the plane to return.
“Whoops… Too late,” Bukele posted with a laughing emoji on X the following day, sharing a screenshot of a news piece regarding the judge’s ruling.
The Supreme Court later revoked the judge’s block, permitting Trump to continue deportations of certain detainees.
