Salvadoran president Bukele refuses to repatriate Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported by U.S.
President Nayib Bukele has rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's order to repatriate Kilmar Abrego Garcia, mistakenly deported from the U.S., citing concerns over his ties to MS-13.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele stated on Monday that he has no plans to repatriate Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported from the United States. In a meeting with President Trump at the White House, he claimed that doing so would be smuggling a terrorist into the country, referencing U.S. claims that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.
During the Oval Office discussion, U.S. officials clarified they were not required to bring back the Salvadoran man, despite an order, back by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bukele won't send Abrego Garcia back to the United States
The Salvadoran president, for his part, said he did not have the power to return Abrego Garcia to the United States.
"The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?" Bukele said, echoing the Trump administration's claim.
Trump, who came into office in January with the promise to reform U.S. immigration policy, has found a kindred spirit for that effort in Bukele. Under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act., the Trump administration has deported hundreds of people, mostly Venezuelans, to El Salvador.
Also, Trump said he would send as many people living in the U.S. illegally to El Salvador as possible and help Bukele to build new prisons.
Abrego Garcia's lawyers denied the allegations that he is a gang member, saying the U.S. has presented no credible evidence no credible evidence substantiating its claim. A U.S. appeals court last week refused to pause a lower judge's order directing the U.S. to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return.
"If the government wanted to prove to the district court that Abrego Garcia was a ‘prominent’ member of MS-13, it has had ample opportunity to do so but has not — nor has it even bothered to try,” said the appeals court in its order.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang and that the court order only required the U.S. to help Abrego Garcia return if El Salvador agreed to sed him back.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was at the Oval Office, said "The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the President of the United States, not by a court."
"President Trump, bring Kilmar home now!"
The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to El Salvador's terrorism confinement center, has gained significant attention, especially after a court order protecting him from deportation.
President Trump stated that his administration would comply with the Supreme Court's order if it required them to bring Abrego Garcia back. However, the administration, in a court filing, argued that it was not obligated to help facilitate his release from El Salvador's prison.
An immigration judge had previously granted Abrego Garcia protection from deportation, citing the risk of gang violence in El Salvador, and he had a work permit in the U.S.
In response to the ongoing legal battle, demonstrators, including Abrego Garcia's wife (a U.S. citizen), gathered outside the White House before Trump's meeting with El Salvador’s President Bukele. The protesters called on President Trump to bring Abrego Garcia back, with one speaker urging, "President Trump, bring Kilmar home now!"