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The Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador will not be returned, according to President Nayib Bukele, who was visiting the White House on Monday.
"How can I return him to the United States," he said sitting next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office when pressed by reporters about Abrego Garcia's status.
"Am I going to smuggle him into the United States? I'm not going to do it. That question is preposterous. We're not very fond of releasing terrorists."
Abrego Garcia has never faced criminal charges, according to court documents, and fled to the US from El Salvador years ago after receiving threats from MS-13, a group he has been tied to.
"First and foremost, he was illegally in our country ... He had been illegally in our country and in 2019, two courts ruled he was a member of MS-13," Attorney General Pam Bondi said during the meeting.
"It's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. The Supreme Court ruled that if they wanted to return him, then we would facilitate it, which means finding a plane."
Another White House staffer called it "very arrogant, even for American media, to suggest that we tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens."
"When President Trump declared MS-13 a foreign terrorist organization, that meant (Abrego Garcia) was no longer eligible under federal law for immigration release."
Officials said that even if Abrego Garcia were returned to the country, he would face deportation right back to El Salvador.
The complete video of the two presidents meeting at the Oval Office can be viewed below.
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