El Salvador Blocks Deported Man's Return Despite U.S. Supreme Court Ruling

(MENAFN) El Salvador will not accept the return of Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported by the U.S. government and is currently held in a high-security prison in his native country, as stated by President Nayib Bukele during a meeting with former President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

This announcement comes in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that requires the Trump administration to "facilitate" the return of Ábrego García, who had been residing in Maryland with his family and received protection from deportation from a U.S. court in 2019.

Despite this ruling, the Trump administration claims it cannot bring Ábrego García back. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that the final decision lies with El Salvador, stating it is "up to El Salvador if they want to return him."

Trump commended Bukele for their new agreement that allows the United States to deport individuals identified as gang members to El Salvador. Ábrego García, whose lawyer asserts he has no gang affiliations, was among 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadorans sent to El Salvador’s Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (Cecot).

During the meeting, Trump also expressed his intention to deport certain violent U.S. citizens to prisons in El Salvador, contingent upon legal conditions allowing for such actions.

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