The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, sitting next to President Donald Trump in the Oval office, said Monday that he will not return to Kilmar Abrego García, a migrant from Maryland who was unfairly deported.
“I don’t have the power to return it to the United States,” Bukele said when a journalist asked.
“How could a terrorist pass the United States from smuggling?” He added, repeating the affirmation of the Trump administration that Abrego García is a member of the “terrorist” gang of MS-13, who has not affirmed in the judicial battle over his destination.
Bukele, the self -written “the best dictator in the world” that has become a key partner in Trump’s controversial deportations, described him as an “absurd question”, saying “of course, I will not do it”, as Trump nodded.
President Donald Trump meets with the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on April 14, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Abrego García’s family and lawyer have denied that he has some affiliation with the MS-13 gang. The administration has not publicly presented evidence that Abrego García is a member of MS-13 or terrorist, and has not been accused of any crime or convicted.
Abrego García was sent to the infamous prison of El Salvador Cecot after what the government said it was an “administrative error”, despite a 2019 court order that prohibits its deportation to El Salvador. His lawyers say he escaped from El Salvador in 2011 due to political violence.
Benjamin Osorio, Abrego García’s lawyer, told ABC News that he has “very serious concerns” in response to the comments of President Salvador
Osorio said Bukele and President Trump are “encouraged” not to bring Abrego García back.
“Bukele is doing this because that is obviously what Trump wants, right?” Osorio said. “Because if they bring [Abrego Garcia] Back, it will be a media frenzy, and this guy will be in all the news, and then we will know about their experience. “
PAM Bondi, Attorney General and Secretary of State Marco Rubio feel close when President Donald Trump meets President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador at the Oval Office of the White House, on April 14, 2025 in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration last week to “facilitate” the return of Abrego García. Trump said Friday: “If the Supreme Court said to bring someone back, I would tell them to do so. I respect the Supreme Court.”
But Trump changed course a day later, instead of suggesting the fate of the deportees he rested with Bukele.
And on Monday, Trump ignored a question about his statement that he would comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court, instead of attacking the CNN journalist who asked.
His senior officials repeated his statement that what happens is exclusively from El Salvador and that the courts cannot direct how the Executive Power participates in foreign relations.
“It depends on El Salvador if they want to return it,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“I don’t understand what confusion is,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “This individual is a citizen of El Salvador. It was illegally in the United States and was returned to his country.”
The White House Cabinet Deputy Director Stephen Miller speaks during a meeting between President Donald Trump and the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on April 14, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Bondi, Rubio and Stephen Miller, Trump National Security Advisor, pointed out the order of the Supreme Court last week as a victory for the administration in the current legal dispute. (The administration must give a daily update on Abrego García later on Monday and another audience is scheduled for Tuesday).
Miller falsely said that the Court ruled 9-0 that “neither the Secretary of State nor the President could be forced by anyone to forcefully recover a citizen of El Salvador de El Salvador.”
But in fact, the Supreme Court said: “The government must be prepared to share what it can with respect to the steps it has taken and the perspective of more steps.”
The Supreme Court also said: “The United States acknowledges that Abrego García was subject to a retention order that prohibits his removal from El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was, therefore, illegal.”
The Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrants who claim to be members of Venezuelan gangs from El Salvador, although they have done so with due process. Rubio, in a social media post on Sunday, said that the efforts continued with another 10 alleged criminals associated with MS-13 and Aragua train deported to El Salvador
Rubio wrote that the “alliance” between Trump and Bukele “has become an example of security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
President Donald Trump meets with the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on April 14, 2025.
Ken cedeno/pool/EPA-EFE/Shuttersock
Trump and Bukele praised themselves at their Oval office meeting on Monday, promoting their relationship. Trump called the Salvadoran president as a “great friend” and Bukele said he was “very anxious to help” the administration.
In addition to deporting alleged members of Venezuelan gangs, Trump and several officials have floated sending US citizens convicted of violent crimes to the infamous prison of El Salvador, something that legal experts have said that it would violate the Constitution.
“I am in favor,” Trump said about the idea on Monday.
“If you are a criminal of your own harvest, I have no problem. We are now studying the laws at this time … If we can do that, that’s good,” Trump said.
Devin Dwyer and Jim Hill of ABC News contributed to this report.
