El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said on Monday that he was 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 an U.S. immigration judge. He is in custody in Bukele's mega prison known as CECOT. The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return.
During Bukele's Oval Office visit on Monday, Trump and his team said it was up to the Salvadoran government to decide whether to return him. Bukele said he would not do that."The question is preposterous: how can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?" Bukele said.
Bukele has been a key ally to Trump as he ramps up deportations to the notorious Salvadoran prison. The Trump administration is paying the Salvadoran government $6 million to house migrants there.
The case involves the Alien Enemies Act
More than 200 migrants have been sent to the prison. Many have been sent there without due process using an obscure wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport large groups of Venezuelans and Salvadorans who the administration says are gang members. Abrego Garcia's attorney says he is not a member of any gang.
