The Trump administration has provided an update on the status of wrongfully deported Maryland resident Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, confirming he’s “alive and secure” and is under “sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”
Why It Matters
During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump promised mass deportations of undocumented and criminal migrants, a policy that has been shown to be popular among voters across the political spectrum, before and after the election.
Abrego Garcia was one of over 200 immigrants deported by the Trump administration to the El Salvador mega prison known as the Center for the Compulsory Housing of Terrorism (CECOT) under the Alien Enemies Act. Officials later admitted his removal was an “administrative error” as a judge had ordered in 2019 that he could not be deported to his home country.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, and the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the administration’s emergency appeal of Xinis’ order, but officials appeared to drag its feet with compliance.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday tried to make a distinction with the judge’s order, saying it was to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return, not “effectuate.” Later on Friday, a Department of Justice (DOJ) court filing stated that “defendants are unable to provide the information requested by the Court on the impracticable deadline set by the Court hours after the Supreme Court issued its order.”
Alex Wong/Getty Images
What To Know
In a court filing submitted on Saturday, Michael G. Kozak, a senior bureau official in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, declared under penalty of perjury: “It is my understanding based on official reporting from our Embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador.”
“He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador,” Kozak wrote, stressing that he made the declaration “based on my personal knowledge, reasonable inquiry, and information obtained from other State Department employees.”
Kozak attested that he is responsible for coordination of the conduct of diplomatic activities in countries across the Western Hemisphere and previously served as the senior coordinator for Afghan Refugees in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, in addition to other roles held since joining the State Department in 1971.
The declaration occurred around the time of a 5 p.m. ET deadline set by Xinis for the administration to provide information about Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts.
While the Trump administration has maintained that Abrego Garcia was a confirmed member of MS-13, his attorneys say this was based on one police report in 2019. That report said the Salvadoran’s clothing—a Chicago Bulls cap and top—and an anonymous tipoff were enough evidence to tie him to the group.
“That’s just chatter in my view. I haven’t been given any evidence,” Xinis previously said.
Alex Peña/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Looking forward to seeing President Bukele, of El Salvador, on Monday! Our Nations are working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity. President Bukele has graciously accepted into his Nation’s custody some of the most violent alien enemies of the World and, in particular, the United States. These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!”
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, wrote on X earlier this week: “Trump ‘made a mistake’ and illegally deported an innocent person to a prison in El Salvador. Somehow, however, he just can’t bring him back. That’s absurd. Abrego Garcia must be returned immediately to his wife and son. Trump cannot destroy the rule of law.”
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, wrote on X on Friday: “The Supreme Court has ruled. Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned home. Now.”
What Happens Next?
Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele will meet on Monday, while it remains unclear how long it will take to return Abrego Garcia to American soil.