[guest post by Dana]
What?? An American president told El Salvador’s President Bukele that our “homegrown” criminals should be deported to his prisons and that Bukele will need to build five additional prisons because what he has isn’t going to be enough:
To be clear, an American president is suggesting that we start renditioning Americans to prisons in foreign countries. If the foreign nationals, who were here legally, yet were picked up and sent to CECOT, didn’t get their due process, do you really think the “homegrown” (Americans) that some Trump loyalist decides they need to go, will get their due process? The whole thing is just unbelievable, un-American, and illegal. Does this mean that American citizenship is provisional now? Are we all going to share this particular brand of vulnerability, being subject to the whims of a corrupt president and his corrupt administration?
Now I know some of you are going to tell me, stop overreacting, he was just joking. Oh really? This is the same administration that decided to have Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia deported to El Salvador, despite an immigration court order against him being sent there because of the risk of persecution. This is the same administration that sent a gay hairdresser who was not a gang member to that hellhole. This is also the same administration that made the decision to pay El Salvador $6 million a year to take Venezuelan deportees and alleged (Tren de Aragua and MS-13) gang members to CECOT. Some of whom had never been convicted or even charged with a felony. Why would anyone think laws would be followed given what has happened?
Which reminds me: As you know the Supreme Court last week ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia. The administration believes it has no legal obligation to return Abrego Garcia. So, today, during the Oval Office meeting, Bukele said he is not asking for Abrego Garcia to be returned to the U.S., thus he couldn’t be returned. What?? Read the crazy rationalization below.
First, the set up:
The Justice Department has conceded in court documents that Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador due to an “administrative error.” The Supreme Court said last week that the U.S. must “facilitate” his release.
That simply means that if El Salvador asks to send him back, the U.S. has to help, administration officials argued today — not that the U.S. has to do anything proactive to rectify its error.
“If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in the Oval Office.
What happened today:
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, said he’s not asking.
“The question is preposterous,” Bukele said at the White House today. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
Finally:
The two leaders have created a circular logic in which no one has the ability to do what the Supreme Court said must be done.
The Justice Department is also arguing in legal filings that courts don’t have the power to dictate specific steps to the executive branch. So, effectively, no one can initiate this process.
This is utterly preposterous. And it’s not rocket science. Remember that $6 million dollars Trump is paying Bukele? If Trump was seriously interested in following the Court’s order, he could easily threaten to cut off the millions of dollars until Bukele returns Abrego Garcia to the U.S. I’m pretty sure Bukele would find a way to get it done asap.
This is happening right in front of us, without fear or shame or concern about legalities. And without accountability for defying a court order.
—Dana
