Salvadorenian President Nayib Bukele said on Monday that he has no plans to return Kilmar Abrago Garcia to the United States after being deported by mistake for a prison in El Salvador. The statement took place during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House.
At a meeting at the Oval Hall, Trump praised Bukele for opening his country’s prison system to house deported from the United States, considered gang immigrants.
During the meeting, the US leader promised to deport as many irregular immigrants as possible and said the US would help El Salvador build new arrests.
The Trump administration deported hundreds of people, especially Venezuelans, to El Salvador under the 1798 foreign enemies law, including a Maryland resident who was deported by mistake.
Bukele said he had no power to return Salvadoran Kilmar Abrago Garcia to the United States.
“The question is absurd. How can I smuggle a terrorist to the United States?” Said Bukele, echoing the Trump government’s statement that Garcia is an immigrant of the MS-13 gang.
Trump, who took office in January promising to reform US immigration policy, found a similar spirit for this effort in Bukele. The migrants El Salvador accepts are housed in a high security prison. Critics say the measure is a violation of human rights.
Trump met Bukele at the White House to discuss more cooperation on security and migration, as well as Bitcoin and tariff salvadon policies.
Human rights groups say Bukele has arrested thousands of people without due process in a widespread repression of gangs; Bukele rejects.
El Salvador’s leader told Trump that he is accused of imprisoning “thousands” of people. “I like to say that we really free millions,” he said.
“It’s a sin what they did, and you’re helping us. We thank you,” Trump said.
Last week, the US State Department raised the warning to US travelers to El Salvador to level one, the safest level, crediting Bukele for reducing gang activity and violent crimes.
The US deported to El Salvador another 10 people on Saturday that they claim to be gang members. The American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, called the alliance between Trump and Bukele a “an example of security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
Lawyers and relatives of the migrants arrested in El Salvador say they are not gang immigrants and had no opportunity to contest the US government accusations. The Trump administration says it has verified the history of the deported people to ensure that they belonged to criminal groups, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, which the US classifies as terrorist organizations.
Last month, after a judge said flights carrying migrants processed under the law of alien enemies should return to the US, Bukele wrote “Oopsie… too late” on social networks, along with images of men being pushed out of a plane.
Man deported by mistake
Kilmar Abrago Garcia was sent to the Terrorist Confinement Center in El Salvador on March 15, although an order protecting him from deportation. The case drew special attention.
The US Supreme Court has confirmed an order from Judge Paula Xinis demanding that the American administration “facilitis and effective” Garcia’s return.
Trump told reporters on Friday that his administration would bring the man back if the high court commanded. However, in a lawsuit on Sunday, the American administration said it was not forced to help Garcia leave prison in El Salvador.
White House Cabinet Deputy Stephen Miller insisted that the deportation of the man was legal, despite the court order. “His status was that he is an illegal foreigner who was ordered deported, which means he can be arrested indefinitely and removed to any other country in the world,” Miller said.
An immigration judge had already granted Garcia protection against his deportation to El Salvador, since there was a risk for man to suffer gang violence in the country. Garcia was allowed to work in the United States.
Protesters, including Garcia’s wife, gathered outside the White House before Trump’s meeting with Bukele.
“President Trump, bring Kilmar home now!” said the group.
This content was originally published in President of El Salvador says he will not return man deported by mistake on the site CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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