In a moment that left many shaking their heads, US President Donald Trump admitted he could bring back a man wrongly deported to El Salvador, but says he simply won’t.
Kilmar Ábrego García was kicked out of the US in March in what has now been widely acknowledged as a mistake, even by the US Supreme Court. Judges have been clear: it was an error, and Trump’s administration has a responsibility to sort it out. But despite this, Trump is digging in his heels.
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In an interview with ABC News, Trump was pressed on the matter and eventually admitted, “I could,” when asked if he had the power to bring Ábrego García back to his home in Maryland. But rather than fixing what many see as a glaring injustice, Trump is holding firm, claiming the man deserved to be deported anyway.
The president went even further, casting doubt on the credibility of a government lawyer who originally admitted the deportation was a mistake, saying they “should not have said that.” He also repeated the controversial claim that Mr Ábrego García is a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, despite the man strongly denying it.
Things got particularly heated when Trump pointed to tattoos on Ábrego García’s knuckles, insisting they showed gang ties. But experts who’ve looked at the images say the symbols were likely digitally added, casting serious doubt on the White House’s narrative.
Ábrego García was one of over 250 people, mainly from Venezuela and El Salvador, sent to a massive prison in El Salvador during what the Trump administration has called a crackdown on foreign criminals. Since then, he’s been transferred elsewhere in the country. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has also weighed in, saying he won’t return Ábrego García to the US either.
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What complicates matters further is that the deported man was granted protection back in 2019—a legal block that should have stopped him from being removed. He originally entered the US illegally in 2012, but his situation had changed significantly since then.
In a further twist, Trump brought up an allegation of domestic abuse against Ábrego García made by his wife. However, she has since stated she never pursued legal action and has publicly asked for her husband to be brought home.
All of this comes during Trump’s 100-day mark of his second term, which he marked with a flashy rally in Michigan and a firm defence of his broader immigration policies. He also used the ABC interview to defend his controversial trade tariffs, brushing off concerns about economic impact and promising “great times” ahead.
On national security, he stood by his defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, despite recent revelations about discussions of military operations on private Signal chats. Still, Trump wouldn’t go so far as to give full backing, snapping at the interviewer with, “I don’t have 100% confidence in anything,” calling it a “stupid question.”
It’s another day, another Trump headline—but this one leaves a man in limbo, thousands of miles from the life he built in the US, and no clear path back.
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