The Justice Department admits Garcia was wrongly deported in violation of a 2019 immigration judge’s order. The Supreme Court instructed the administration to “facilitate” his return.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele says he will not return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court ruling calling the deportation illegal.
“How can I return him to the United States? Like if I smuggle him into the United States?” Bukele said Monday during an Oval Office meeting with former President Donald Trump.
“Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous.”
The Justice Department admits Garcia was wrongly deported in violation of a 2019 immigration judge’s order. The Supreme Court instructed the administration to “facilitate” his return.
Trump and top officials downplayed the court’s authority. Adviser Stephen Miller said Garcia was “sent to the right place,” despite no charges in the U.S. or El Salvador.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said, “If they want to return him, we would facilitate it.”
Garcia, held in a Salvadoran prison, was allegedly tied to MS-13 based on an unsubstantiated claim, a federal judge said.
A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.