El Salvador president says Maryland man wrongfully deported will not be returned to US in meeting with Trump

The Trump administration has told US District Judge Paula Xinis that it cannot bring the Maryland man back as it “does not have authority to forcibly extract” Abrego Garcia.

President Donald Trump, shakes the hand of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (Pool via AP)

El Salvador has clarified that it will not return a Maryland man, Kilmar Ábrego García, who was mistakenly deported by the US authorities, and President Nayib Bukele suggested it would be akin to smuggling a terrorist into the country.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele made the comments on Monday in the White House during a meeting with US President Donald Trump, with whom he shares a strong bond.

While Bukele gave the remarks in the Oval Office, several Trump administration officials present there said that US was not required to bring back Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia despite a Supreme Court order last week which stated that the US government must facilitate the return of the Maryland man.

🚨BREAKING: El Salvador President Bukele says he WILL NOT send MS-13 terrorists back to the United States:

“How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous!”
pic.twitter.com/ZALlxtUz0F

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 14, 2025

Ábrego García, who belongs to El Salvador, lived in Maryland with his family and was granted protection from deportation in 2019 by a court.

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While the Trump administration has clarified that it cannot bring Garcia back, Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that it is up to El Salvador to return the Maryland resident.

HAPPENING NOW IN THE OVAL OFFICE: President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 meets with President @NayibBukele of El Salvador 🇸🇻 pic.twitter.com/cmJamTnuUz

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 14, 2025

The Trump administration has told US District Judge Paula Xinis that it cannot bring the Maryland man back as it “does not have authority to forcibly extract” Abrego Garcia.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks during a news conference at CASA’s Multicultural Center in Hyattsville. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

When asked about Garcia, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said that he did not have the power to return the man back to the United States.

Adding to the US narrative that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, Bukele said “The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Reuters reported.

However, Trump had told reporters last week that if US Supreme Court asks to bring someone back, then he would do that.

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