Trump says he hasn't asked El Salvador's Bukele to return Ábrego García to U.S.
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Trump claimed that "nobody asked" him to request that Bukele return Ábrego García, despite the Supreme Court order that he facilitate it. Photo: Win McNamee via Getty Images
President Trump said in a new interview that he hasn't asked El Salvador president Nayib Bukele to return the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported.
Why it matters: Trump doubled down on his administration's refusal to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring it to facilitate Kilmar Armando Ábrego García's return from a high-security prison for terrorists in El Salvador.
- The administration's refusal to abide by the court orders has raised the prospect of contempt proceedings. Observers have warned of the potential for a constitutional crisis, as well.
Driving the news: Trump's remarks came in a new wide-ranging interview with Time magazine that's out Friday to mark the first 100 days of his second presidency.
- Trump called the 9-0 Supreme Court ruling "something entirely different" when asked about resisting it.
- The president claimed that "nobody asked" him to request that Bukele return Ábrego García, despite the Supreme Court order, and that he hasn't asked Bukele "positively."
Catch up quick: The ruling states that "the order properly requires the government to facilitate Ábrego García's release from custody in El Salvador."
- The Justice Department has conceded in court documents that Ábrego García was deported to El Salvador due to an "administrative error," but is also arguing in legal filings that courts don't have the power to dictate specific steps to the executive branch.
- The Justice Department also said that if Ábrego García manages to return to the U.S., he will be detained and removed from the country.
- Bukele has previously said that he doesn't "have the power" to return Ábrego García to the U.S.
What they're saying: Trump deferred to his lawyers, claiming that he doesn't "make that decision" regarding the facilitation of Ábrego García's release.
- "I give them no instructions," Trump said. "They feel that the order said something very much different from what you're saying. But I leave that to my lawyers. If they want—and that would be the Attorney General of the United States and the people that represent the country."
- Trump echoed claims that his administration has circulated that Ábrego García is a gang member, which experts have cast doubts on.
Zoom out: Trump also reiterated his desire to send American citizens to foreign prisons in certain circumstances, a step that would violate the Constitution.
- "I would love to do that if it were permissible by law. We're looking into that. When I have a person, these would be extreme cases," he said.
- "We're talking about career criminals that are horrible people that we house and we have to take care of for 50 years while they suffer because they killed people," Trump said in the interview.
- Trump also repeated frequently debunked claims about undocumented immigrants causing crime rates to "skyrocket." Many studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than U.S.-born citizens, per AP.
Go deeper: How judges can hold Trump admin accountable for defying court orders
