El Salvadorโs President Nayib Bukele on Monday said he would not return a man who the Trump administration admits was mistakenly deported to the Central American country as part of a controversial US migration crackdown.
โThe question is preposterous. How can I return him to the United States? Itโs like, I smuggle him into the United States? … I donโt have the power to return him to the United States,โ Bukele said at a meeting in the Oval Office with US President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration has been ordered by a court to facilitate the manโs return after he was deported without due process
Trump administration officials emphasised that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and that the US has no say in his future. Bukele has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts.
Should El Salvador want to return Abrego Garcia, the US would โfacilitate it, meaning provide a planeโ, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
But she added: โHe was illegally in our country.โ