US ordered to return man wrongfully sent to prison in El Salvador
Illustrative photo: The man was unlawfully arrested on March 12 and deported to El Salvador on March 15 (Getty Images)
US federal judge orders the government to return man mistakenly sent to the Salvadoran prison by Monday, according to Bloomberg.
On Friday, US District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that the government must return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia from a terrorist detention center in El Salvador. According to her, the man was sent to prison in that country due to an “administrative error.” She believes he was likely deported from the US unlawfully.
Judge Xinis stated that Abrego Garcia had been granted a deportation deferral in 2019. She added that he was unlawfully arrested on March 12 and deported to El Salvador on March 15 without proper legal procedures or justification.
The US Department of Justice claims he is a member of the MS-13 gang and poses a danger to society. However, his lawyer denies the allegation, stating that Abrego Garcia is a sheet metal worker.
“We suggest the judge contact President Bukele because we are unaware of the judge having jurisdiction or authority over the country of El Salvador,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a brief statement on Friday evening.
According to Bloomberg, the court order comes amid growing tension between the US government and another federal judge, who recently claimed that US authorities may have knowingly ignored his order to halt the deportation of Venezuelans labeled as gang members by the Trump administration.
Deportation from US
After returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump restarted the process of deporting undocumented immigrants - a key promise of his election campaign.
In late January, Bloomberg reported that the number of undocumented migrants in the US could reach 11 million. If all were deported, the US economy could lose up to 8% of its GDP.
