In a dramatic challenge to a Supreme Court directive, President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele have jointly refused to return Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported despite legal protection.
Abrego García, who had lived in the United States since 2011, was removed under the Alien Enemies Act after being flagged as a national security concern. However, a court order had explicitly barred his deportation. Despite that ruling, he was sent back to El Salvador, where he now remains in one of the country’s highest-security prisons.
The U.S. Supreme Court later ordered federal authorities to facilitate his return, calling the deportation unlawful. But the response from both administrations has been firm. Trump’s team dismissed the ruling as overreach, while Bukele claimed he has no power to free someone El Salvador considers a national threat.
The refusal has triggered outrage among legal experts, who warn that ignoring a Supreme Court order could set a dangerous precedent. Human rights advocates argue that Abrego’s continued detention violates both domestic law and international standards.
With one side citing law enforcement priorities and the other invoking the authority of the highest court, the question now is no longer just legal—it’s constitutional.