Earlier this month, the Trump administration admitted in court that they accidentally deported a man from Maryland, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador. And even though the Supreme Court ordered the administration to bring Garcia back in a rare 9-0 decision, Trump is openly defying their decision with the help of El Salvador President, Nayib Bukele.
On Monday (April 14), President Bukele was welcomed to the White House by Donald Trump. When asked by reporters whether or not he’d return the wrongly deported Garcia back to the United States where his family awaits, Bukele shot down any hopes of righting the Trump administration’s wrong by saying, “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course, I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous.”
For the record, Garcia was convicted of no crime and was wrongfully accused of being a member of MS-13 by ICE when he was detained and deported last month. But with the Trump administration paying El Salvador $6 million annually to house deported immigrants in their notorious prison, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Bukele will provide cover for Trump who’s refusing to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to “facilitate” the return of Garcia.
Because of this administration’s reluctance to even attempt to persuade Bukele to return Garcia, rumors have been circulating around social media that Garcia has been killed and both parties are doing what they can to prevent that news from coming out as the detainment, deportation and death of an innocent man would be a bad look for everyone involved in the situation.
According to Crooks and Liars, a Trump official pushed back on the claim, but wouldn’t provide any evidence to support the claim.
Per Crooks and Liars:
Michael Kozak, a senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, said yesterday that Garcia is “alive” but will remain at the notorious mega-torture prison.
Donald once again said in the Oval Office meeting that he was open to sending American citizens convicted of violent crimes to Bukele’s prison in El Salvador.
Trump had a similar response when Bukele first offered to jail convicted American criminals in February. “I’m all for it,” Trump said, adding that his attorney general was studying whether the idea was legally feasible. “If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no problem, no,” he said, adding: “I’m talking about violent people. I’m talking about really bad people.”
If Trump can send an innocent man with no due process to a prison in another country and claim the U.S. no longer has any jurisdiction to facilitate their return and is now saying he wants to send “homegrown” U.S. citizens there too, we’re officially entering the fascist era in American history.
Trump even encouraged Bukele to build five more prisons to house the “homegrown” criminals he plans on sending to El Salvador throughout the next few years. Y’all already know which marginalized groups of people this administration will be targeting for deportation regardless of citizen status.
Be afraid because if Trump is blatantly thumbing his nose at the Supreme Court, what’s left to stop him from carrying out his obvious fascist agenda?
What do y’all think about Trump and Bukele’s refusal to return an innocent man back to the United States? Let us know in the comments section below.
