Trump Acknowledges Authority to Return Deported Man from El Salvador, Declines to Act

In a recent interview with ABC News, President Donald Trump stated that he has the power to help bring back Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongly deported to El Salvador in March, but said he has no intention of doing so.

The admission contradicts earlier assertions by Trump administration officials who claimed they lacked the legal ability to return Abrego Garcia due to his current detention by a foreign government.

During the interview, ABC’s Terry Moran pointed out a Supreme Court ruling mandating that the US government “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return. Trump responded, “I could,” when asked if he could simply call El Salvador’s president to request the return. However, he added, “But he is not [a gentleman],” citing concerns about Abrego Garcia’s alleged gang ties.

Abrego Garcia, a father of three who arrived in the US around 2011, had been granted protection from deportation in 2019 by an immigration judge due to threats from gangs in El Salvador. Nevertheless, he was deported in March 2025 after being identified by US officials as an MS-13 gang member—an allegation he and his supporters deny, and which at least one judge has questioned.

Despite the Supreme Court’s order, administration officials have maintained that they cannot compel El Salvador to release Abrego Garcia. Attorney General Pam Bondi previously stated that the decision rests with the Salvadoran government. President Nayib Bukele has refused to repatriate Abrego Garcia, labeling him a terrorist and vowing not to release him from the high-security CECOT prison.

During the interview, Trump defended the deportation, reiterating his belief that Abrego Garcia is a gang member. He referenced the man’s tattoos and past domestic issues, including a protective order filed by his wife in 2021, though no gang-related criminal convictions have been presented. Experts have cast doubt on claims that his tattoos definitively link him to MS-13, and one federal judge criticized the deportation as driven by “uncorroborated allegations.”

The case has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement, executive power, and judicial authority. While Trump insists that his actions are guided by law and the recommendations of government lawyers, critics argue that the administration is willfully ignoring a legal mandate.

Protests have taken place in US cities demanding Abrego Garcia’s return, with advocates pointing to what they call a troubling disregard for the rule of law.

With input from CNN, Axios, and the New York Times.