El Salvador's President Refuses to Return Alleged Gang Member to US, Calling It 'Preposterous'

WASHINGTON – The immigration standoff over a man who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador is heating up. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the U.S. must "facilitate" Kilmar Abrego Garcia's return, but in a meeting at the White House this week, President Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said that's not going to happen. 

Trump hosted Bukele in the Oval Office on Monday, where both leaders were pressed on Abrego Garcia's case. Bukele said he had no plans to send him back the States. 

"How can I return him to the United States?" Bukele asked reporters. "Like, I smuggle him into the United States? Of course, I'm not going to do it. It's like, I mean, the question is preposterous." 

Abrego Garcia, a citizen of El Salvador, was deported from the U.S. along with hundreds of other alleged gang members. The Trump administration maintains he is a member of MS-13. 

"In 2019, two courts, an immigration court and an appellate immigration court, ruled that he was a member of MS-13 and he was illegally in our country," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the meeting. 

But the Supreme Court ruled that Abrego Garcia's deportation was illegal and ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" his return. 

The White House initially called his deportation an "administrative error," noting that Abrego Garcia had a court order protecting him from being sent to El Salvador, where he faced potential danger.

The administration is now walking that back. White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller told reporters Monday what would happen if Abrego Garcia was brought back to the United States. 

"He would be deported a second time to El Salvador again because there's no withholding order for an alien who's a member of a foreign terrorist organization, number one," said Miller. "Number two is the gang that he's a member of doesn't exist in El Salvador anymore."

The administration also argues that courts can't direct foreign policy decisions. "Foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the president of the United States, not by a court," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the meeting. 

Abrego Garcia's lawyer insists the U.S. government does have the ability to bring his client home. "What we're asking is exactly what the Supreme Court told him. Let's facilitate his return," said Benjamin Osorio. "We're asking them to follow the law." 

Abrego Garcia has not been charged or convicted of any crimes. He denies any affiliation to MS-13. 

President Trump created further controversy Monday when he said "homegrown" criminals could also be sent to El Salvador.