El Salvador Won’t Return Abrego Garcia to US: We’re Not ‘Fond of Releasing Terrorists’

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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 14: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) welcomes El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to the White House on April 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump and Bukele are scheduled to meet in the Oval Office to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including the detention of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who has been held in a prison in El Salvador since March 15. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced Monday that he would not be returning a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to the country, despite a U.S. Supreme Court directive instructing the Trump administration to assist in his return.

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“How can I return him to the United States? I smuggle him into the United States? Of course, I’m not going to do it,” Bukele stated during a conversation with then-President Donald Trump. The comment came in response to a question regarding the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who has been imprisoned in a well-known Salvadoran facility since March.

Bukele further remarked, “The question is preposterous. We’re not very fond of releasing terrorists.”

President Trump directed inquiries about Abrego Garcia to Attorney General Pam Bondi. She stated that Abrego Garcia had entered the U.S. unlawfully and reiterated that court rulings identified him as a member of the MS-13 gang. The Trump administration has acknowledged that a clerical mistake led to Abrego Garcia’s deportation.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,” Bondi commented. She characterized the matter as involving “international matters” and “foreign affairs,” noting that the U.S. would provide transportation if El Salvador decided to repatriate him. “The U.S. would facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return if El Salvador wanted to send him back by providing an airplane,” she added.

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As part of a directive from U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis requesting updates on Abrego Garcia’s condition, the State Department stated in a filing that “He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”

In a separate legal document, the Department of Justice argued that federal courts cannot dictate how the executive branch handles international diplomacy. The DOJ maintained that, since Abrego Garcia is under the jurisdiction of Salvadoran authorities, the U.S. courts cannot compel the administration to act on his behalf, reports News Nation.

Abrego Garcia’s legal team disputes the government’s assertions that he was affiliated with a gang and has proposed that the United States deploy aircraft and personnel to retrieve him from El Salvador.

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