President Donald Trump said he could call El Salvador’s president to request the release of a man his administration mistakenly deported — but won’t.
"I'm not the one making this decision. We have lawyers that don't want to do this," President Trump said in an interview with ABC News.
His comment may conflict with a Supreme Court ruling requiring the administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported in March due to what the government described in court as an administrative error.
When asked why he wouldn’t make the call to secure Abrego Garcia’s release, Trump claimed the man was a gang member.
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"If he were the gentleman you say he was, I would do that, but he's not," Trump told ABC News' Terry Moran.
Abrego Garcia, who is from El Salvador, had been living in Maryland with his wife and three children before being deported. He was under a court order that barred his removal due to credible fears he would be harmed if returned to his home country.
Abrego Garcia was initially transferred to El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, an experience he called traumatizing. He has since been moved to a prison in Santa Ana, El Salvador, according to U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to the country and checked on him.
