The Trump administration believes it has no obligation to ensure that Kilmar Ábrego García, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador and is currently in a notorious high-security prison, returns to the USA.
There will never be a world where this individual lives a peaceful life in Maryland, says Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt, claiming that it's about a foreign terrorist and gang member, reports The Hill.
Kilmar Ábrego García's family claims that the government's allegations against the sheet metal worker and father of three are false.
Demanding Release
Chris Van Hollen, Democratic senator in García's home state of Maryland, has made a notable trip to El Salvador, where he demands that President Nayib Bukele release the imprisoned man.
I'm not asking him to smuggle Mr. Ábrego García into the USA. I'm simply asking him to open the prison doors and let this innocent man go, he says, according to USA Today.
The Trump administration is clearly violating American court decisions.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration should "facilitate" García's return to the USA. But the 29-year-old, who was born in El Salvador but is married to an American and legally resides in the USA, is still in the Salvadoran mega-prison, where thousands of gang members and others are locked up under conditions that have been heavily criticized by human rights groups.
According to Van Hollen, the US ambassador to the country says they have not received any instructions to help with a release. Van Hollen is the first congressman to travel to El Salvador due to the case, but more are showing engagement. There is now a discussion about whether an official congressional delegation should visit the prison.
Contempt of Court?
Federal Judge James Boasberg, who in March issued a court order to stop the deportations, says that there are now probable grounds to accuse the government of contempt of court, writes Politico. Boasberg believes that the Trump administration deliberately ignored the court's order and threatens with legal action if the decision is not followed.
Ábrego García entered the USA illegally in 2011. He was arrested, but in 2019, he received a form of residence permit when an immigration judge decided that he could not be sent back to his home country due to threats from criminal gangs.
Mass deportations of undocumented immigrants were one of President Trump's most prominent campaign promises. He has repeatedly accused migrants of violent crimes and drug smuggling.
