Cnn
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The Trump administration and the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, clearly indicated at an oval office meeting on Monday that the man of Maryland who was wrongly deported to El Salvador will not be returned to the United States.
Despite a decision by the Supreme Court that the United States must “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the White House officials argued that it is in El Salvador if it should do it.
Questioned directly by Kaitlan Collins de CNN if he plans to return it, Bukele argued that the notion of doing so would be “absurd”.
“I hope you don’t suggest getting a terrorist to the United States,” said Bukele. “How can I get a terrorist smuggling in the United States?” Of course, I’m not going to do it. The question is absurd. ”
The senior White House officials have opposed the judge’s decision in recent days and have argued that a court could not intervene in decision-making in the United States foreign policy. As CNN has reportedThe unsigned and brief decision of the High Court left the ordinance of the American district judge in place, but made a distinction between “facilitating” the return of Abrego Garcia and “erase it”. The lower court correctly forced the government to “facilitate” its return, the judges clearly indicated.
President Donald Trump himself has changed his position in recent days after having initially said that he would respect the decision of the Supreme Court.
“If the Supreme Court said they brought someone, I would do it. I respect the Supreme Court,” Trump told journalists last week.
But pressed by Collins on these previous comments, the president on Monday did not answer the question.
At the meeting of the Oval Office, Trump turned to members of his administration – including the Attorney General Pam Bondi, deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – to highlight the administration’s argument that the United States does not have the power to return Abrego Garcia.
“It is in El Salvador if they want to return it. It is not up to us. The Supreme Court judged that if El Salvador wanted to return it … We would facilitate it: the meaning, provide an airplane,” said Bondi.
Abrego Garcia illegally entered the country Around 2011, but an immigration judge in 2019 – after examining the evidence – retained his dismissal. This meant that Greo Garcia could not be expelled to El Salvador. A gang of his native country, according to the immigration judge, “targeted him and threatened him with death because of the affairs of his family pupusa”.
Bukele’s desire to Accept hundreds of migrants that the Trump administration claims that are gang members or violent criminals have been essential to the president’s ambition to expel as much as Millions of undocumented Before the first year of his second term.
Trump urged Bukele on Monday to build more mega-prison, such as the country’s famous confinement center in the country, or Cecot, which Bukele invited the United States to use in prison deportees for fees.
And Trump reported that deportees could also include American citizens who are considered violent criminals.
“If it is a local criminal, I have no problem,” said the president, adding that Bondi is studying the laws “at the moment”.
“And I’m talking about violent people. I’m talking about really bad people. Really bad people. Just as bad as those who arrive,” added the president.
In a Deal announced earlier this yearEl Salvador has agreed to accommodate violent American criminals and to receive deportees of all nationality in an unprecedented agreement – and legally problematic – which has Alarmed criticisms and rights defense groups.
The visit of Monday cements the status of Bukele as one of the foreign partners closest to the new Trump administration, which alienated certain traditional American allies when it comes to its beginnings. One of the most popular leaders in the region, Bukele is called “The coolest dictator in the world” and the “philosopher king” while he suspends certain civil freedoms to pursue the gangs of his country.
This has won over the anger of international human rights organizations, which allege large -scale abuses in its repression against crime. But it’s also it earned him popularity inside Salvador; Bukele, 43, won the re -election Last year by a landslide.
Trump took note. He called his counterpart “President B” on social networks during the weekend and congratulated him for “graciously” “some of the most violent foreign enemies in the world and, in particular, the United States”.
“I think he is doing a fantastic job. He takes care of many problems we have,” Trump told journalists on the Air Force an early Sunday morning when he came back from Miami after Watch a UFC fight.
“It was incredible,” said Trump, brushing all human rights concerns. “They have very bad people in this prison,” he said, referring to Cecot.
El Salvador’s Minister of Justice and Public Security published a very produced video on Sunday showing 10 deportees who arrived during the weekend by being in charge of an airplane and walked in prison in channels.
The administration said that the people sent to Salvador are terrorists or violent criminals, but proofs proving so much was rare. Government lawyers have cited tattoos or clothing related to gangs in court documents to allege crime.
To expel some of the men, the administration relied on the law on extraterrestrial enemies, a secular law allowed summary deportations in wartime. THE The Supreme Court said last week The administration could continue to use the law to withdraw migrants from the United States.
This story and this title have been updated with additional developments.
