El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced on Monday that he is not inclined to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States.
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who had lived in Maryland for about 15 years, was deported to El Salvador despite being granted protections by a U.S. immigration judge.
He is currently held in Bukele’s mega prison known as CECOT.
The Supreme Court had previously ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return.
During a visit to the Oval Office on Monday, Bukele conveyed to President Trump and his team that it was ultimately up to the Salvadoran government whether to return Abrego Garcia.
Bukele firmly stated, “The question is preposterous: how can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?”
The relationship between Bukele and the Trump administration has been characterized by an increase in deportations to the prison, with the Trump administration allocating $6 million to the Salvadoran government for housing migrants there.
The ongoing deportation saga involves the Alien Enemies Act, a World War-era law aimed at detaining and deporting non-citizens deemed threats.
More than 200 migrants have been transferred to the prison under this legal framework, often without due process, as authorities utilize the Act to deport large numbers of Venezuelans and Salvadorans identified as gang members.
Abrego Garcia’s attorney maintains that he is not affiliated with any gang.
Though the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use the Alien Enemies Act for deportations, it also mandated that the administration facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, present during the Oval Office meeting with Bukele, claimed that the administration’s obligation was limited to providing transportation and noted that Abrego Garcia is now in Salvadoran custody.
Bondi stated that Abrego Garcia had not been legally in the United States and described the deportation issue as merely a “paperwork” problem.
“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him.
That’s not up to us,” Bondi asserted.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller both asserted that the decision rests with Bukele.
“He’s a citizen of El Salvador, so it’s very arrogant even for American media to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens,” Miller remarked.
Rubio emphasized that no court in the United States has the authority to dictate foreign policy.
In response to the developments, Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an immigration advocacy nonprofit, expressed shock.
“What we saw today at the White House should shock every American who cares about our system of checks and balances and the rule of law,” she stated, referencing the decision not to return Abrego Garcia.
Cárdenas asserted that the refusal contravenes the Supreme Court’s ruling and is indicative of the broader implications for democracy regarding immigration policies.
“All of this is a reminder why immigration is the tip of the spear for Trump’s larger assault on key pillars of our democracy and why what’s at stake should alarm Americans of all political persuasions,” she concluded.
image source from：https://www.npr.org/2025/04/14/nx-s1-5364502/trump-bukele-el-salvador-deportation
