Standoff over mistaken deportation escalates amid tariff talk and immigration crackdown
Tensions are rising over the mistaken deportation of a Maryland father as President Trump continues to ramp up both his immigration crackdown and economic policies.
(NBC)- Tensions are rising over the mistaken deportation of a Maryland father as President Trump continues to ramp up both his immigration crackdown and economic policies. The controversy centers on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father of three with a valid U.S. work permit, who was deported to El Salvador due to what the Justice Department initially called an “administrative error.” Despite a U.S. Supreme Court order directing the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return, Abrego Garcia remains in a high-security prison in El Salvador.
President Trump hosted El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele this week, who pushed back on any assumption that he could simply send Abrego Garcia back to the United States. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him,” Bukele said, referring to the U.S. government’s new claim that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the violent MS-13 gang. The claim has not been backed by criminal charges in either the U.S. or El Salvador, and his family strongly denies the allegations.
“I’m still fighting for you,” said Jennifer Vasquez Sura, Abrego Garcia’s wife, standing by his innocence.
The U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said it’s up to El Salvador to initiate his release. “This is international matters, foreign affairs. If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane,” Bondi stated. However, Garcia’s attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenburg insists the law is clear: “That’s the order. The order is bring him back.”
The case has become a flashpoint in the administration’s broader immigration strategy. President Trump announced plans to deport more migrants to prisons in El Salvador and is even considering whether U.S. citizens with violent criminal records could be sent there as well. “If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no problem. Now, we’re studying the laws right now,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, the president also confirmed new tariffs are on the horizon, this time targeting imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductor chips—two critical components in consumer electronics like smartphones and computers. While the move could raise prices for everyday tech, Trump said he would remain “flexible” when asked about potential exemptions for Apple products.
