Wrongly deported man not leaving El Salvador prison, Bukele says at Trump meeting

Bukele says at a Trump meeting that a man who was wrongly deported is still in prison in El Salvador. By [Your Name] on April 14, 2025 During a meeting with a prominent former U.S. President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of Salvador made a controversial statement about a man who was allegedly deported from the United States to El Salvador in error. Bukele says that despite growing questions about the legality and morality of his detention, the person in question will not be released from a Salvadoran prison. The primary goal of the meeting, which took place in Florida at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, was to improve economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries. However, after Trump praised Bukele's aggressive crackdown on gangs and crime, immigration and law enforcement quickly came to the forefront. Bukele made a reference to the case of a man who, despite being a resident of the United States and having no serious criminal record, was reportedly deported by mistake by American authorities. Rather than arranging for his release or repatriation, Bukele announced that the man remains in custody under suspicion of ties to criminal networks in El Salvador.

> “Just because someone was deported wrongfully doesn’t mean they’re innocent of everything,” Bukele said. We will abide by our own laws because we have our own justice system. Legal experts and advocates for human rights quickly criticized Bukele's position. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement shortly after the meeting, calling the situation “deeply troubling” and a violation of international human rights norms.

Maria Hernandez, a spokesperson for the ACLU, stated, "This man appears to be a victim of bureaucratic failure on the U.S. side and is now being further victimized by El Salvador's justice system." “He must be given due process, or he should be returned immediately.”

Due to privacy laws, the man's identity has not been officially confirmed; however, sources familiar with the situation claim that he was mistakenly targeted during a joint U.S.-El Salvadorian operation to eliminate MS-13 and other transnational gangs. Bukele’s tough-on-crime approach, often hailed by Trump and his allies, has earned him both domestic popularity and international criticism. El Salvador’s prison system, now overflowing with suspected gang members, has been under scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and overcrowded conditions.

During a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Bukele stated that he does not have the authority to return Maryland father and sheet metal worker Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom he claimed to be a terrorist. "How can I return him to the United States? I smuggle him into the United States? Of course I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous," Bukele said. I am powerless to bring him back to the United States. We're not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country."

"Someone must be imprisoned in order to free 350 million people. That's the way it works,” Bukele told Trump. Terrorism has not been brought against Abrego Garcia.

Trump, on the other hand, strongly endorsed Bukele's methods. > “President Bukele is doing what needs to be done to keep his country safe,” Trump said. "El Salvador has a lot to teach us," Concerns about wrongful deportation, detention without trial, and the erosion of civil liberties in the name of national security are growing as the case progresses, and pressure is mounting on both governments to address these issues. It remains to be seen whether Bukele will be compelled to revisit the case by international diplomacy or public pressure, or whether the man will remain in prison under the shadow of the controversial policies of two governments. ---