Bukele Stands Firm Against Returning Salvadoran Deportee to the U.S.

The meeting between the Presidents of the United States and El Salvador on April 14 at the White House comes after a series of controversies sparked by their alliance. Central to the discourse is the troubling deportation of nearly 300 immigrants, most of whom were Venezuelan, to El Salvador’s notorious maximum-security prison for terrorists. This facility, known as the Centro de Confinamiento para Terroristas (Cecot), was constructed as part of President Nayib Bukele’s plan to tackle escalating violence in El Salvador.

The deportees were allegedly linked to criminal organizations such as the Tren de Aragua or the infamous Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang. However, the deportations have been met with significant criticism. Human rights groups, along with the families of the deported individuals, claim that many of those sent to the Cecot had no connection to criminal groups. These accusations have been compounded by reports that the U.S. government failed to conduct due process before sending these individuals to El Salvador. Recently, the Trump administration itself acknowledged a “procedural error” after it deported a man to the prison, an act which led to a federal judge ordering his return to the U.S.

Bukele Feels Strongly About Kilmar

Despite attempts by the U.S. judicial system to curb the current administration’s deportation policies, the deportations continue. In fact, just days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, a deportee sent back to El Salvador in March, must be returned to the U.S. The Court dismissed the administration’s claim that his return was impossible.

The situation has grown more tense as Bukele weighed in on the matter, stating from Washington that he lacked the “authority” to send Ábrego back to the U.S. Asked whether he planned to release Ábrego, Bukele dismissed the idea as “absurd,” calling the man a “terrorist.” “How can El Salvador return him to the United States? By smuggling him? Of course, we’re not going to do that. I don’t have the authority to send him back,” Bukele stated firmly.

U.S. Legal Standoff

This assertion came after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi clarified that it would be El Salvador’s decision whether or not to return Ábrego. “It is not our responsibility,” she said, adding, “If El Salvador wants to return him, we will facilitate the process and provide air transport.” Nevertheless, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to Trump, hinted at the possibility that Ábrego would face deportation once again if he returned to the U.S.

The incident has now added a new layer of complexity to the already fraught relations between the two nations, with Bukele’s administration caught between the demands of its powerful northern neighbor and the practical limitations of its own legal system.

This story is still unfolding.