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Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who entered the US illegally sometime around 2011. He was deported from the United States on March 15, 2025 and sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) – the country’s prison for gang members. DHS noted that Abrego Garcia was arrested “in the company of other ranking gang members” and that he was confirmed to be a member of MS-13 by a “reliable source.”
Abrego Garcia illegally immigrated to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16. He had lived and worked in the country legally since 2019 [no word on what he was doing for the first 8 years he was here], when an immigration judge granted him “withholding of removal” status, an alternative to asylum, over what he said was the threat to his life from gang violence in El Salvador if deported. The withholding of removal meant he could not be deported to El Salvador but could be deported to another country. At the time of his deportation in 2025, he was living in Maryland with his wife and child, both American citizens [and two of her children].
During El Salvadoran President Naibe Bukele’s meeting and press conference with President Trump at the White House on Monday, a CNN reporter asked, “Do you plan to return him [to the U.S.]?” Bukele replied:
“Well, I suppose you’re not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States, right? How can I smuggle? How can I return him to the United States? Like I smuggle him into the United States? Or what do I do? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist to the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
Another reporter said, “You could release him inside El Salvador.” President Bukele said:
“I mean, we’re not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country. We just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country of the western hemisphere, and you want us to go back into releasing criminals so we can go back to being the murder capital of the world? That’s—that’s not going to happen.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attorney Stephen Miller, who is White House deputy chief of staff for policy and the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security all responded to reporters’ questions about Abrego Garcia.
Watch the videos where the officials at the meeting discussed Abrego Garcia’s deportation:
Following El Salvadoran President Naibe Bukele’s meeting and press conference with President Trump, the headlines and news stories focused on the “Maryland man” who was “wrongly deported.”
Politico reported:
“El Salvador won’t return wrongly deported Maryland man”
Many readers commented on X similar to those below:
- “He wasn’t ‘wrongly deported’ and he’s not from Maryland. Other than that, solid journalism.”
- “Corrected Headline: El Salvador refuses to send El Salvadoran citizen being held in jail in El Salvador to the United States.”
The Associated Press headline:
“Both the US and El Salvador refuse to return wrongly deported man to the US”
Readers on X commented on the AP story with similar points:
- “He was an MS13 gang member (two immigration courts agreed) and he actually had an order of deportation from before.”
- “He was living here illegally. Under federal law MS13 is a terrorist organization and is treated like one.”
(Compiled from Wikipedia, CNN and X)
Questions
1. How did Attorney General Pam Bondi respond to a reporters’ question asking if Wilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to CECOT in El Salvador, will be returned to the U.S.? Be specific.
2. How did White House advisor and attorney Stephen Miller reply to the same question?
3. What did the Supreme Court rule?
4. When President Bukele said he can’t return a terrorist to the U.S., a reporter asked him if he would then release Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. What do you think of his response?
5. What did Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasize about Abrego Garcia?
6. President Trump at the end asks the reporter why she keeps asking the same questions and asks her “Why don’t you just say – isn’t it wonderful that we are keeping criminals out of our country?”
What do you think of his question?
7. Consider the headlines and comments following the videos. For someone who isn’t familiar with the facts, what would they think about the case of Abrego Garcia?
CHALLENGE:
How did Stephen Miller explain the difference between a deportation order and a withholding order in Video #2?
Background
The Supreme Court issued a 9-0 decision in an unsigned order on Thursday requiring the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia.
They said lower court Judge Xinis may have exceeded her authority when she required the Trump administration to “effectuate” Ábrego García’s return.
“The district court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the executive branch in the conduct of foreign affairs,” the Supreme Court order said.
The high court said the lower court’s order requiring the government to “effectuate” his return was unclear and needed further review.
The court did not give the administration a deadline for when Abrego Garcia should be returned. The opinion was unsigned and no dissents were noted.
A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. (from CNN and NY Post)
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