'He will never live in US': White House defies court orders, refuses to return wrongly deported Maryland man

The White House has refused to comply with court orders to return Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, who was wrongly deported from Maryland last month, even as a federal judge and the US Supreme Court have both directed the Trump administration to facilitate his return.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that Ábrego García “will never live in the United States of America.” She accused him of being a member of the MS-13 gang and a perpetrator of domestic violence, citing a 2021 restraining order filed by his wife. “If he ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again,” Leavitt added.
However, his lawyers and family members have denied any gang affiliation. His wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, told Newsweek that the restraining order was filed “out of caution” and the issue had since been resolved through family counselling.
The deportation, which took place on 15 March, sent Mr Ábrego García to El Salvador’s Cecot prison, notorious for housing alleged gang members. It was carried out despite a 2019 court order that protected him from removal. Maryland Judge Paula Xinis ruled the deportation violated that order and requested daily updates on efforts to bring him back. So far, the Department of Homeland Security has reported “no further updates.”
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, during his White House visit this week, said his government does not “have the power” to return him. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who travelled to El Salvador on Wednesday, said Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa also declined to release Mr Ábrego García or allow a prison visit. “They should just let him go,” Van Hollen told reporters in San Salvador.
Van Hollen called the case “unjust” and accused the Trump administration of “lying about Abrego Garcia.” The Supreme Court last week partially upheld a lower court ruling, confirming that the administration must aid in his release.
The case has become a political flashpoint. Democrats are using it to criticise the Trump administration’s immigration policies and defiance of the judiciary. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said, “This is a constitutional crisis… This is about defying the Constitution and the Supreme Court.”
A group of Democrats, including Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Maxwell Frost, are now pushing for a congressional delegation to visit El Salvador and assess Mr Ábrego García’s condition. If not approved, lawmakers say they may travel independently.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is doubling down. At Wednesday’s briefing, Leavitt appeared alongside Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was murdered in 2023 by a man from El Salvador. The administration is citing such crimes to justify its stance on deportations and border security. “We need to protect our families, our borders, our children,” Morin said.