Trump says he ‘could’ bring wrongly deported man back to U.S. — but won’t do sex sex to

U.S. President Donald Trump said “he could” speak with Salvadoran authorities to organize the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a longtime Maryland resident mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the U.S. government in March, but says it’s up to Salvadoran leaders to make the call. Trump’s comments, made in a television interview with ABC News that aired on Tuesday, came in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling given on April 10 ordering the government to secure the safe return of Abrego Garcia. 1:18 El Salvador blocks US senator from visiting wrongly deported Salvadoran man El Salvador blocks US senator from visiting wrongly deported Salvadoran man Kilmar Abrego Garcia wife speaks as US judge orders sworn testimony from Trump officials Previous Video Next Video Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-10","lazy":false,"targeting":{"pos":10,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-10"},"companion":false} ); } The 29-year-old father of three was removed from the U.S. despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to El Salvador due to existing threats to his life in the country. Nonetheless, the Trump administration has repeatedly argued that it is the responsibility of the Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, to send Abrego Garcia home. Meanwhile, Bukele claims that he does not have the power to do so.ABC News’ Terry Moran probed the president on his decision not to help Abrego Garcia. More on World More videos RFK Jr.’s sister says her brother not the right hire for health boss U.S. economy contracts in Q1 amid impact from tariff-fueled imports Trump congratulates Carney on election win, agrees to future meeting: PMO Harvard officially renames DEI department as Trump lawsuit begins Auto industry expert on scaled back auto tariffs and B.C. pausing EV rebates White House condemns Amazon’s alleged plans to highlight tariff surcharges on product listings Trump providing auto sector tariff relief to spur move to U.S. Trump takes a jab at Taylor Swift during Philadelphia Eagles White House visit “You could get him back. There’s a phone on this desk,” Moran said.“I could,” Trump replied, adding that he is ill-inclined to do so due to his administration’s claims that Abgreo Garcia was involved in gang activity.“If he [Abrego Garcia] were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that, but he’s not,” the president told Moran, adding that the decision is not up to him.The Trump administration says Abrego Garcia has ties to the MS-13 gang, a claim Abrego Garcia’s lawyers vehemently deny while noting that he has never been charged with a crime. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-11","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":11,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-11"},"companion":false} ); } During the interview, Trump also referred to Abrego Garcia as “a tough cookie” and said he “beat the hell out of his wife.” Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, accused him of domestic violence and received a temporary protection order against him in 2021. She told reporters that the situation has not escalated since and that she opted not to go ahead with court proceedings, according to CBS News. View image in full screen Protesters show support for Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration admits Abrego Garcia was deported accidentally, but has not yet acted on a judge’s order to facilitate his return to the U.S. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images In a Time magazine interview last week, the president denied that his government contravened the Supreme Court’s order.In new developments on Wednesday, as reported by the New York Times, the Trump administration reportedly sent a letter asking about the release of Abrego Garcia, which Bukele said he would not facilitate because he is a Salvadorian citizen and should remain in his home country. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-12","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":12,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-12"},"companion":false} ); } The Times says it’s not clear if it was a genuine effort by the Trump administration to secure Abrego Garcia’s release, and the White House did not comment on the letter.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “In the Oval Office, President Bukele made it very clear he will not be smuggling Abrego Garcia, who is a designated foreign terrorist, MS-13 gang member and El Salvadoran national, back into the United States.”When asked by Time Magazine if he was “disobeying” the 9-0 Supreme Court ruling to return Abrego Garcia, the president said, “Well, that’s not what my people told me—they didn’t say it was, they said it was—the nine to nothing was something entirely different.”During further questioning, Trump brushed off responsibility entirely. Trending Now Nearly 200 pounds of cocaine seized at Canada-U.S. border in latest bust Lapu Lapu festival tragedy: What we know about the victims “I leave that to my lawyers. I give them no instructions. They feel that the order said something very much different from what you’re saying. But I leave that to my lawyers. If they want—and that would be the Attorney General of the United States and the people that represent the country. I don’t make that decision.”Earlier this month, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia and push for his release.He was able to sit down with his constituent for one hour in a hotel after multiple attempts to meet with him were rejected. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-13","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":13,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-13"},"companion":false} ); } Photos released by Van Hollen’s office offer the only evidence of Abrego Garcia’s well-being since he arrived in El Salvador over a month ago.Four House Democrats — Yassamin Ansari, Maxine Dexter, Maxwell Frost and Robert Garcia — were denied a similar visit. View image in full screen In this handout provided by Sen. Van Hollen’s Office, U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) meets with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia (L) at an undisclosed location on April 17, 2025, in San Salvador, El Salvador. Sen. Van Hollen's Office / Getty Images Abrego Garcia fled to the U.S. illegally around 2011, the year he turned 16, according to documents filed in his immigration case. He joined his brother, Cesar, now a U.S. citizen, in Maryland and found work in construction.He gained lawful status in the U.S. in 2019, but was arrested last month and flown to El Salvador on one of multiple high-profile flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members, despite an existing order prohibiting his return to the country due to threats of gang persecution. Story continues below advertisement if ( typeof( gn_monetize ) !== 'undefined' && typeof( gn_monetize.Ads ) !== 'undefined' && gn_monetize.Ads.initialRequestMade() ) { // Ads script has been loaded, create the ad. gn_monetize.Ads.create( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-14","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":14,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-14"},"companion":false} ); } else { // if Ads script not yet loaded, queue up ad data for initialization. var gnAdSettings = gnAdSettings || {}; gnAdSettings.ads = gnAdSettings.ads || []; gnAdSettings.ads.push( {"sizes":"[300,250]","biddable":true,"id":"gpt-ad-300250-14","lazy":true,"targeting":{"pos":14,"slotid":"gpt-ad-300250-14"},"companion":false} ); } Abrego Garcia’s family was being extorted by local gangs in El Salvador when he fled the country almost 15 years ago. 0:58 U.S. Senator heads to El Salvador to push for return of mistakenly deported man U.S. Senator heads to El Salvador to push for return of mistakenly deported man Kilmar Abrego Garcia wife speaks as US judge orders sworn testimony from Trump officials Trump has ‘no problem’ with U.S. criminals being deported to El Salvador ‘Preposterous’: El Salvador president says he doesn’t have the power to return wrongly-deported migrant back to U.S. Previous Video Next Video He and his wife have three children, including their five-year-old son, who has autism, is deaf in one ear and is unable to verbally communicate. They’re also raising a nine-year-old with autism and a 10-year-old with epilepsy.His deportation happened as part of a broader government-led initiative clamping down on illegal immigration.