El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has refused to return Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran father of three who was wrongly deported from the U.S. and is now detained in El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison. Despite a U.S. Supreme Court order instructing the Trump administration to facilitate Ábrego García’s return, Bukele has publicly rejected the request, calling it equivalent to “smuggling a terrorist” into the United States.
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Ábrego García was living in Maryland with his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura — a U.S. citizen — and their children. He had been granted protection from deportation in 2019 by an immigration judge due to credible fears of violence if returned to El Salvador. The Trump administration has since admitted his removal was an “administrative error,” but continues to argue that he is a member of the MS-13 gang, a claim his lawyer strongly denies and which courts have found to be unsubstantiated.
Trump and Bukele Cement Alliance on Deportation Strategy
The case has become a flashpoint in the increasingly close relationship between Trump and Bukele, who met at the White House on Monday. Trump praised Bukele’s aggressive crackdown on gangs and called for mass deportations of alleged criminals — including possibly American citizens — to El Salvador.
“If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no problem,” Trump said, suggesting violent offenders in the U.S. could be imprisoned abroad if legally viable. Bukele, seated beside him, nodded in agreement. Cameras captured Trump telling Bukele to “build more prisons.”
The administration has invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport individuals — including Ábrego García — on the basis of alleged gang affiliations. Critics say many were targeted over tattoos or clothing, not criminal records. So far, more than 200 migrants have been deported under the program to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a prison accused of gross human rights abuses.
Mega-Prison CECOT
Built in under a year and capable of holding 40,000 inmates, CECOT has become the centerpiece of Bukele’s “war on gangs.” Conditions inside are notoriously harsh: windowless cells, overcrowding, no privacy, limited access to water, and scant legal protections. Despite this, Bukele enjoys soaring domestic popularity, and Trump has openly admired his authoritarian approach.
Ábrego García’s wife has condemned the U.S. and Salvadoran governments for “playing political games with his life.” Outside the White House, protesters chanted: “President Trump, bring Kilmar home now!”
Legal Crisis and Foreign Policy Power Play
While the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration must help return Ábrego García, the Trump team insists it has no power to compel El Salvador to cooperate. Attorney General Pam Bondi argued that the ruling only mandates cooperation “if” Bukele agrees to the return — something Bukele has explicitly refused.
Legal experts call the standoff a constitutional crisis. “The government can disappear people to a foreign country with no due process and no responsibility for what happens next,” said Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck. “If the government can do it to Ábrego García, they can do it to anybody.”
Representative Hakeem Jeffries has called for contempt proceedings against U.S. officials failing to comply with the court order. Meanwhile, the Justice Department maintains that foreign policy lies solely with the president, shielding the administration from judicial enforcement.
Financial and Political Incentives Behind the Alliance
Documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal that El Salvador receives $20,000 per year for each deportee it accepts — a figure totaling $6 million for the most recent group. These funds, along with prison labor, are expected to make the prison system “self-sufficient,” according to Bukele.
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The alignment has strategic benefits for both leaders: Trump secures a tough-on-crime image heading into re-election, while Bukele strengthens his international standing and receives U.S. funds. The Trump administration even revised its travel advisory to El Salvador, branding it safer than France or the UK — a stark contrast to the previous administration’s criticism of Bukele’s authoritarianism. Human rights advocates warn the U.S. is legitimizing repression abroad. “Instead of holding Bukele accountable, the Trump administration is copying his authoritarian playbook,” said Amanda Strayer of Human Rights First.