WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department said on Saturday a Maryland resident deported to El Salvador is “alive and secure” in a terrorism confinement center there, after a U.S. Judge demanded updates on the Trump administration’s efforts to secure his return.
A State Department court filing gave the update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to El Salvador on March 15 despite an order protecting him from deportation, after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis made the demand for daily updates on Friday.
The filing from Michael Kozak, of the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, did not, however, say what steps the government was taking to bring Abrego Garcia home, as Xinis had also demanded.
“I am aware that the instant lawsuit has been filed seeking the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States from El Salvador,” Kozak’s filing said.
“It is my understanding based on official reporting from our Embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador,” it said. “He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”
Xinis issued her demand a day after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an order from her directing the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return. However, the Supreme Court said the term “effectuate” was unclear and might exceed judge’s authority.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who was living in Maryland and has had a work permit since 2019, was deported by mistake.
But it has said it cannot immediately bring him back and that diplomatic relations cannot operate at the speed with which the courts are demanding.
Trump is due to meet El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday. Trump told reporters on Friday his administration would bring Abrego Garcia back if the Supreme Court directed it to.
Asked on Friday if Trump would seek the return of Abrego Garcia when he meets Bukele, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the Supreme Court ruling made clear the administration’s responsibility was to “facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, not to effectuate the return.”
Trump said on Saturday he was looking forward to meeting Bukele and praised him for taking “enemy aliens” from the United States. He said the two countries were working closely to “eradicate terrorist organizations.”
“These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!” Trump wrote.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
