Donald Trump has released a fiery statement regarding a father who was deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador due to an ‘administrative error.’
More than 250 alleged criminals have been deported to the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador, as Trump pushes forward with his plan to carry out mass deportations under a law last used during World War II.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, is among those sent to the prison — despite the Trump administration previously acknowledging his removal was the result of an ‘administrative error.’
Although Garcia entered the U.S. illegally around 2011, a judge ruled in 2019 that he should not be deported, citing threats he faced from a gang in his home country.
Despite the ruling, Garcia was detained on March 12 of this year, with the Trump administration alleging he was found “in the company of other ranking gang members.”
Garcia was deported due to an ‘administrative error’ (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
CASA, an immigrant advocacy group, has been fighting for Garcia’s return to the U.S., arguing that he has never been convicted of a crime in either the United States or El Salvador.
Amid the controversy, Trump took to his Truth Social account to unleash a scathing statement about the push to bring Garcia back to America.
The 47th president wrote: “Radical Lunatic Democrats and their Comrades in the Fake News Media are falsely portraying Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia as a sweet and innocent person, which is a total, blatant, and dangerous LIE.
“Garcia has been found by two separate courts to be a member of the violent, killer gang MS-13, was in our Country illegally, and is under a Deportation Order.”
Trump went on: “It is despicable and un-American for Liberals and the Mainstream Media to hate our Country so much and be obsessed with protecting criminals, rather than focusing on keeping our Border, streets, and families safe.”
Trump has taken to Truth Social to issue a scathing statement (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Those who lie to the American People to defend violent criminals must be held accountable by the Agencies and the Courts. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Previously, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s administration must “facilitate” Garcia’s return after his mistaken deportation came to light, prompting meetings between Trump and El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele.
But during a meeting in the Oval Office, Bukele made it clear that any decision to return Garcia would rest with his government — and he appeared firmly opposed to the idea.
“I hope you’re not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous,” Bukele told reporters during the meeting.
“We just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country in the Western Hemisphere. And now you want us to start releasing criminals again so we can go back to being the murder capital? That’s not going to happen.”
