Trump suggests a potential return of Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, despite hesitation.
Rewritten Article:
Donald Trump, U.S. President, in an extraordinary turn of events, acknowledged that he could bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month, yet refused to do so.
During an exclusive interview, Trump was pressed by ABC News' Terry Moran about the possibility of returning Abrego Garcia. Moran suggested that Trump, with the power of the presidency, could have phoned El Salvador's president and requested him to send Abrego Garcia back. Trump responded that he could, yet suggested that it wouldn't be wise because, according to him, the Salvadoran president isn't "the gentleman" he's made out to be.
While Trump claimed the administration's lawyers discourage bringing Abrego Garcia back to the U.S., he admitted the deportation was a result of an administrative error and ignored a judge's 2019 ruling that prevented Abrego Garcia from being sent back to his native El Salvador due to potential danger.
Despite this, U.S. officials have refused to return Abrego Garcia, insisting they lack the power to force El Salvador to do so. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, however, vowed to keep Abrego Garcia in prison, stating his administration wasn't "very fond of releasing terrorists" detained in the country.
Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. illegally around 2011, but was temporarily protected from deportation due to concerns for his safety given a gang in his native country that targeted him and his family's business. Trump claimed Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13, citing his tattooed hands, yet Abrego Garcia and his wife dispute this claim, with at least one federal judge expressing skepticism towards it.
Experts have expressed doubts over whether Abrego Garcia's tattoos prove gang ties, and the judge overseeing Abrego Garcia's case accused the administration of intentional noncompliance with their obligation to produce information.
This report was contributed to by Devan Cole and Shania Shelton, CNN. Written by Karina Tsui, CNN.
Enrichment Data:The Trump administration's refusal to facilitate Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s return, despite a Supreme Court decision, appears rooted in a combination of procedural arguments, systemic enforcement practices, and a focus on restrictive enforcement over individualized reviews. The administration pursued aggressive tactics against undocumented immigrants, with cases of systemic due process violations. The uncontested 2019 protection order that safeguarded Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador, where he faced persecution, was disregarded, resulting in his removal and later characterized as an "oversight." The Supreme Court's ruling left intact a district court mandate, but the government's failure to comply suggests either bureaucratic inertia or a deliberate policy choice to resist judicial directives in immigration cases. Abrego Garcia remained detained in El Salvador's CECOT prison despite his lawful U.S. ties as a father of special-needs U.S. citizens.
- The Trump administration's policy-and-legislation, focusing on restrictive enforcement, has led to the refusal to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia's return, disregarding a Supreme Court decision and a judge's 2019 ruling.
- Terry Moran, in an interview, pressed President Trump about the possibility of returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia, suggesting that Trump, as the U.S. President, could have intervened to bring him back.
- Citing his Administration's lawyers, President Trump refused to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back, yet sentiments persist that this refusal meant an intentional disregard of the potential danger Abrego Garcia faces in El Salvador.
- Donald Trump's tactics against undocumented immigrants have been questioned for systemic due process violations, as seen in the uncontested 2019 protection order for Kilmar Abrego Garcia that was disregarded, resulting in his deportation.
- The general news has covered the controversy surrounding the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, with many experts expressing doubts over his alleged gang ties and the administration's claims, while others question the administration's citing of policy-and-legislation as the reason for their refusal to return him to the U.S.
