Bondi Defends MS-13 Gang Member Deportation Despite Court Order

Attorney General Pam Bondi staunchly defended the Trump administration’s decision to deport Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, alleged to be an MS-13 gang member, to a controversial El Salvadoran megaprison, despite a federal judge ordering his return to the United States, Fox News reports.

Bondi insisted that ICE members had testified that Abrego Garcia, a former Maryland resident, is indeed a member of the violent criminal gang. This assertion comes amidst arguments from his legal team that he should remain in the US because he was studying to become an electrician.

Bondi then shifted the focus to recent cases of violent gang activity in Florida, citing instances of individuals being stabbed over a hundred times as part of gang initiations, and other arrests linked to MS-13 in Fort Lauderdale and Minnesota.

Vice President JD Vance echoed Bondi’s sentiments last Thursday, accusing Democrats and members of the media of prioritizing the rights of a deported gang member over the victims of violence perpetrated by undocumented criminals. He stated that this represents a “mistaken placement of priorities.”

The White House has remained resolute in its decision, even following a report from The Atlantic revealing that federal attorneys attributed Abrego Garcia’s deportation to an “administrative error” that resulted in his placement in the CECOT men’s prison in El Salvador.

Court filings also indicate that Abrego Garcia arrived in the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16, seeking refuge from gang threats in El Salvador. In 2019, a judge granted him “withholding of removal,” a form of protected status, after determining that he would likely face persecution from Salvadoran gangs if deported.

However, US Federal District Judge Paula Xinis ruled on Friday that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was illegal and ordered his return to the United States by midnight on Monday.

Despite acknowledging the “administrative error,” the Trump administration has maintained its defense of the deportation. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted on Tuesday:

“This individual is an illegal criminal who broke our nation’s immigration laws. He is a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang, and he is involved in human trafficking.”