Bukele refuses U.S. request to return mistakenly deported man

During a recent meeting at the White House, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele reiterated his refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deportee mistakenly sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering his return. Bukele dismissed the notion of facilitating Garcia's return as 'preposterous,' labeling him a 'terrorist' and asserting that he does not have the authority to send him back. President Trump praised Bukele as a 'fantastic' leader and expressed interest in expanding cooperation on immigration, even suggesting the potential deportation of U.S. citizens to El Salvador. The Trump administration has been criticized for its mass deportation efforts, which have included the recent deportation of over 200 Venezuelan immigrants accused of gang activity without evidence. Bukele's government has become increasingly central to U.S. immigration policy, raising concerns over human rights abuses in the treatment of deportees. The meeting exemplified the alliance between the two leaders, who share a strongman approach to governance and a focus on immigration control.