Will ‘Respect’ SCOTUS Decision to Return Wrongfully Deported Man

A day after the Supreme Court ordered that President Donald Trump’s administration return an innocent Maryland man wrongfully deported to a notorious El Salvadoran mega-prison, the president said that he would respect the high court’s decision.

“If the Supreme Court said bring somebody back I would do that. I respect the Supreme Court,” Trump told reporters on Friday. He added, “I have great respect for the Supreme Court.” Despite the president’s remarks, his administration has yet to provide information regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s location and any details they have taken towards ensuring his release.

The conservative-controlled court’s ruling was unanimous on Thursday, with all nine justices backing a lower-court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador. The ruling sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who ordered the government to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release and return to the U.S.

However, the justices separately stated that the district court’s order to “effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s release may have been a step too far. Trump’s Justice Department issued a statement attempting to cast the decision as a win for its position, writing: “As the Supreme Court correctly recognized, it is the exclusive prerogative of the President to conduct foreign affairs. By directly noting the deference owed to the Executive Branch, this ruling once again illustrates that activist judges do not have the jurisdiction to seize control of the President’s authority to conduct foreign policy.”

When speaking to reporters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to seize on this distinction. “The Supreme Court made their ruling last night very clear that it’s the administration’s responsibility to facilitate the return, not to effectuate the return,” said Leavitt.

Earlier this month, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security admitted that it had wrongfully deported Abrego Garcia to the El Salvadoran prison due to an “administrative error.” Abrego Garcia had been granted protection from removal to El Salvador, making it illegal to send him there. Xinis last week ordered the administration return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., but the Trump administration appealed the ruling, arguing that they did not have the authority to bring back Abrego Garcia since he is in the custody of El Salvador.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, in an order on Thursday, Judge Xinis said the government must “take all available steps to facilitate the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States as soon as possible.” The judge gave the Justice Department until 9:30 a.m. ET on Friday, and then 11:30 a.m., to detail where Abrego Garcia is located and what steps have been taken to bring him back.

Despite the judge’s demand, the Trump administration did not provide even “basic” details to Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts, and Xinis denounced the government’s lack of information as “extremely troubling.”

“I’m asking a very simple question. Where is he?” Xinis asked Justice Department lawyers at Friday’s court hearing, Politico reported.

In reply, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign answered, “I do not have that information.”