Overview

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national married to a U.S. citizen, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March 2025, violating a court order protecting him from removal.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration must facilitate Garcia's return, but administration officials argue it is El Salvador's responsibility to initiate the process.
• El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has refused to return Garcia, calling the idea 'preposterous' and asserting he lacks the authority to do so.
• Garcia is being held in El Salvador's CECOT prison, a facility known for human rights violations, despite no credible evidence linking him to gang activity as alleged by U.S. officials.
• The Trump administration's refusal to act on the Supreme Court's mandate has raised concerns about defiance of judicial authority and the erosion of due process protections.