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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed in a recent discussion on Fox News that the actions taken by the Trump administration, particularly the deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, were justified.
Both the Department of Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have characterized Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador as stemming from an “administrative error.”
Despite this acknowledgment, Leavitt contested the notion of a mistake during her interview, asserting, “We did not make a mistake. We have always maintained this was an individual who needed to be deported from our country.”
She further emphasized the commitment of the administration to deport individuals involved in violent gangs, specifically mentioning MS-13, which has been linked to numerous violent incidents across American communities.
Abrego Garcia, originally from El Salvador, was deported last month and subsequently detained in a large prison facility. Administration officials later claimed in a legal document that this deportation was due to an “administrative error.” Until then, Abrego Garcia had been granted a protected status in the U.S., making deportation to El Salvador unlikely due to safety issues.
The attorney from the Department of Justice who admitted to the error was later dismissed from their position. In a related statement, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller claimed, “The only mistake that was made is a lawyer put an incorrect line in a legal filing that since has been relieved of duty.” Yet, ICE also reaffirmed that the deportation was indeed an error.
The situation garnered renewed attention following a visit by Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to El Salvador, where he met with Abrego Garcia, who has reportedly been relocated from the prison.
Leavitt has consistently stated that Abrego Garcia would not return to the U.S., countering the calls from Democratic lawmakers and court orders mandating his repatriation. She has asserted that he has ties to MS-13, despite limited evidence to substantiate these claims. “To the Democrat Party who thinks they are going to bring this foreign terrorist back to the United States of America to live a peaceful and happy life, that is never going to happen,” Leavitt stated during her appearance on Fox News.
Referring to Abrego Garcia, Leavitt described him as an “illegal alien” and a “foreign terrorist,” asserting his status as a “criminal MS-13 gang member who violated our country’s laws by coming here in the first place.”
She also criticized Van Hollen and the broader Democratic party for advocating for the return of Abrego Garcia, stating, “There is a litany of evidence proving this individual’s ties to MS-13, that has been confirmed in two different courts.”
Four Democratic representatives from states including Arizona, Oregon, Florida, and California traveled to El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s return.
Finally, Rep. Yassamin Ansari voiced her concerns over the Trump administration’s actions regarding Abrego Garcia, expressing alarm over perceived violations of due process. “To see the Trump administration so blatantly and egregiously defy the Supreme Court and have no regard for due process is extremely alarming to me,” she remarked, highlighting the potential implications for democracy.
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