AP: US judge questions Trump officials’ refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Xinis ordered the U.S. on Friday to provide daily status updates on plans to return Abrego Garcia. The Trump administration responded Saturday that he was alive in the El Salvador prison. But it has only doubled down on its decision not to tell a federal court whether it has any plans to repatriate Abrego Garcia.
In a filing Tuesday afternoon, Trump administration attorneys said the U.S. government is prepared to facilitate his return to the U.S. But they said that his protection from being deported to El Salvador would be removed because they alleged he’s in MS-13. He would be deported back to El Salvador or to a third country, they said.
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In a filing with the U.S. District Court on Tuesday, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers cited Thursday’s order from the Supreme Court to facilitate his return.
“To give any meaning to the Supreme Court’s order, the Government should at least be required to request the release of Abrego Garcia,” the attorneys wrote. “To date, the Government has not done so.”
The attorneys also rejected the idea that the U.S. lacks the authority to retrieve him. They noted that the U.S. is paying El Salvador to hold prisoners, including Abrego Garcia, and “can exercise those same contractual rights to request their release.”