The former head of the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that Kilmer Abrego Garcia, a man from Maryland deported to the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador, will face deportation again if he is permitted to return to the U.S.
“If he returns to the United States, he will face deportation once more,” noted Ron Vitiello, who was in service during President Trump’s first administration.
The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals have supported a lower court’s decision demanding the Trump administration to “facilitate” the release of Abrego Garcia, yet the White House maintains there is no possibility he will be readmitted.
Vitiello characterized the initiatives taken by the Democrats as making him a “remarkable figure” for the United States.
Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced on Monday that they would not assist in Abrego Garcia’s release. The administration acknowledged in court that his deportation was an “administrative mistake,” but that did not alter their stance.
“If the situation were reversed, with an American citizen in prison in the U.S. doing something in El Salvador, we would not comply with their request either,” Vitiello remarked.
The White House claims that the Maryland man has affiliations with the MS-13 gang and is involved in criminal activities, which Abrego Garcia and his wife have refuted.
An immigration judge previously granted him permission to stay in the U.S. after he fled El Salvador to escape violence and persecution. Abrego Garcia has been a Maryland resident for over a decade.
