El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele stated at the White House that he has no intentions of returning a man who was mistakenly deported from the United States, implying that such an action would be akin to smuggling a terrorist into the country.
These comments were made during an Oval Office meeting, where several officials from President Donald Trump’s administration noted they were not obligated to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man, despite a US Supreme Court ruling mandating his return.
Mr. Abrego Garcia’s situation has gained attention as the Trump administration has deported numerous individuals to El Salvador, with assistance from Mr. Bukele, whose country is allocated $6 million to accommodate the migrants in a high-security mega-prison.
The US government has labeled his deportation as an administrative mistake.
In a court document filed yesterday, an official from the US Department of Homeland Security stated that the agency “does not have authority to forcibly extract an alien from the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation.”
Mr. Bukele informed reporters that he lacks the authority to return Mr. Abrego Garcia to the US.
“The question is absurd. How could I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Mr. Bukele remarked, reiterating the Trump administration’s assertion that Mr. Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the MS-13 gang.
These remarks followed US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statement at the same gathering, where she mentioned that the US would only need to “provide a plane” if Mr. Bukele wished to return Mr. Abrego Garcia.
Mr. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have refuted the claim that he is a gang member, asserting that the US presented no credible evidence to support this allegation.
The US deported Mr. Abrego Garcia to El Salvador on March 15. President Trump questioned reporters on whether the administration would comply with the order for his return, referring to “sick people.”
“The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the president of the United States, not by a court,” stated Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the Oval Office meeting.
Mr. Trump expressed his intent to deport as many individuals living illegally in the US to El Salvador as possible and to assist Mr. Bukele in constructing new prisons.
On Saturday, the US deported ten additional individuals to El Salvador, whom it claims are gang members.
The migrants accepted by El Salvador from the US are being housed at a facility known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre.
Critics argue that the prison is involved in human rights violations and that Mr. Bukele’s crackdown on gangs has implicated many innocent individuals without following due process.
Mr. Bukele informed Mr. Trump that he has been accused of incarcerating thousands of people. “I prefer to say that we have actually liberated millions,” he stated.
The US president reacted to Mr. Bukele’s statement, asking, “Do you think I can use that?”
Last week, the State Department downgraded its travel advisory for US citizens visiting El Salvador to the safest level, crediting Mr. Bukele with reducing gang activity and violent crime rates.
Attorneys and relatives of the migrants detained in El Salvador maintain that they are not gang members and have had no opportunity to contest the US government’s claims against them.
Photos of Kilmar Abrego Garcia are displayed during a news conference concerning his arrest and deportation.
The Trump administration asserts that it screened migrants to ensure they were affiliated with gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, classifying them as terrorist organizations.
Last month, after a judge ruled that flights transporting migrants processed under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act should return to the US, Mr. Bukele tweeted “Oopsie… Too late” alongside footage of men being escorted off a plane during nighttime.
An immigration judge had previously granted Mr. Abrego Garcia protection against deportation to El Salvador, citing the potential for him to face gang violence there. He held a work permit in the US, where he had resided since 2011.
Last week, the US Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling instructing the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” his return. However, it indicated that the term “effectuate” was unclear and might exceed the district court judge’s authority.
A hearing is set for today. Legal experts suggest that Judge Paula Xinis may press the Trump administration to clarify whether it signaled to Mr. Bukele to withhold Mr. Abrego Garcia’s release, which could be viewed as noncompliance with the court order’s instruction to “facilitate” his return.
While the Supreme Court directed Judge Xinis to refine her order “with due regard for the deference owed to the executive branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” some legal analysts believe Mr. Trump might be defying the court by undermining Mr. Abrego Garcia’s release.
“All that is complete nonsense as applied to a case like this, where the only reason the foreign country is detaining the individual is because the US pressured them to do so and made an agreement that compelled them to act,” said Ilya Somin, a constitutional law professor at George Mason University.
“It’s abundantly clear that they could secure his release if they chose to.”
Mr. Trump informed reporters on Friday that his administration would bring Mr. Abrego Garcia back if directed to do so by the Supreme Court.
