El Salvador President Nayib Bukele Calls Returning Deported Man Back To U.S. ‘Preposterous’

On Monday, during an Oval Office meeting, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said it was “preposterous” to suggest that he should return a Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump Administration.

The Trump Administration has made mass deportations the centerpiece of its policy program.

On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that the government needs to work to bring Abrego Garcia, who the administration accuses of being a gang member, back to the U.S.

“On March 15, 2025, the United States removed Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia from the United States to El Salvador, where he is currently detained in the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT),” the court stated in an unsigned order.

“The United States acknowledges that Abrego Garcia was subject to a withholding order forbidding his removal to El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was therefore illegal.

“The United States represents that the removal to El Salvador was the result of an ‘administrative error.’ The United States alleges, however, that Abrego Garcia has been found to be a member of the gang MS–13, a designated foreign terrorist organization, and that his return to the United States would pose a threat to the public.

“Abrego Garcia responds that he is not a member of MS–13, and that he has lived safely in the United States with his family for a decade and has never been charged with a crime.

“On Friday, April 4, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland entered an order directing the Government to ‘facilitate and effectuate the return of [Abrego Garcia] to the United States by no later than 11:59 PM on Monday, April 7. On the morning of April 7, the United States filed this application to vacate the District Court’s order.

“THE CHIEF JUSTICE entered an administrative stay and subsequently referred the application to the Court.

“The application is granted in part and denied in part, subject to the direction of this order.

“Due to the administrative stay issued by THE CHIEF JUSTICE, the deadline imposed by the District Court has now passed,” the court declared. “To that extent, the Government’s emergency application is effectively granted in part and the deadline in the challenged order is no longer effective.

“The rest of the District Court’s order remains in effect but requires clarification on remand.

“The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.

“The intended scope of the term ‘effectuate’ in the District Court’s order is, however, unclear, and may exceed the District Court’s authority. The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs.

“For its part, the Government should be prepared to share what it can concerning the steps it has taken and the prospect of further steps. The order heretofore entered by THE CHIEF JUSTICE is vacated.”