President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has stated he has no intention of returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported from the United States, comparing the move to “smuggling a terrorist” back into the country, Reuters reported.
Speaking at the White House alongside President Donald Trump, Bukele denied having the power to return Abrego Garcia, despite a US Supreme Court-backed order directing American authorities to facilitate his return.
“The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele said, echoing Trump officials’ accusations that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the MS-13 gang — a claim his lawyers deny. No credible evidence has been presented to support the allegation, according to recent court rulings.
Trump, aligning with Bukele on immigration policy, has vowed to deport as many undocumented migrants to El Salvador as possible, praising Bukele’s mass imprisonment of alleged gang members. Many of these deportees, including Abrego Garcia, have been sent to El Salvador’s high-security Terrorism Confinement Center, which is criticised for alleged human rights abuses and detaining innocent individuals without due process.
Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed the court order only mandates US cooperation if El Salvador agrees to the return. Secretary of State Marco Rubio further argued that foreign policy decisions rest with the president, not the judiciary.
Despite a lower court’s order and the Supreme Court’s refusal to halt it, the US government maintains it is not obligated to secure Abrego Garcia’s release from Salvadoran custody. Abrego Garcia, who previously held a US work permit, was granted deportation protection by an immigration judge due to fears of gang violence.
Protesters, including Abrego Garcia’s US citizen wife, gathered outside the White House, urging Trump to comply with the court’s directive. “President Trump, bring Kilmar home now!” a demonstrator declared.
Meanwhile, Bukele, dismissing concerns about mass incarceration, told Trump: “They say we’ve imprisoned thousands—I say we’ve liberated millions.” Trump, praising Bukele’s crackdown, responded, “Can I use that?”
