President Donald Trump and El Salvador President Nayib Bukele issued strong responses Monday during a joint press conference at the White House when pressed repeatedly by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man and confirmed MS-13 member.
The back-and-forth began after Collins questioned whether the United States would request El Salvador return Garcia, who had been deported under the Trump administration.
Garcia had previously been ruled a member of the violent gang MS-13 by both an immigration court and an appellate court.
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Despite legal challenges raised over his deportation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that courts cannot compel the executive branch to retrieve the individual or dictate foreign policy conduct.
President Trump criticized Collins for asking the same question multiple times.
“How long do we have to answer this question from you? Why don’t you just say ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’ Why can’t you say that?” Trump asked.
“Why do you go over and over? And that’s why nobody watches you anymore. You know, you have no credibility.”
TRUMP: “How long do we have to answer this question from you? Why don’t you just say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’” pic.twitter.com/FCnnyMjkkn
— Team Cruz (@TeamTedCruz) April 14, 2025
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As Collins attempted to continue, Trump responded, “Not you,” when selecting the next question, denying her further opportunity during that portion of the press conference.
.@POTUS shuts down a very rude @kaitlancollins of Fake News CNN (again) 🔥 pic.twitter.com/6kfMPNEeVf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 14, 2025
When the topic returned to Garcia, Trump deferred to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, each of whom elaborated on the administration’s position.
Bondi said the deportation was lawful. “First and foremost, he was illegally in our country… In 2019, two courts—an immigration court and an appellate immigration court—ruled that he was a member of MS-13 and he was illegally in our country,” she explained.
“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.”
Bondi confirmed that the U.S. would comply with the Supreme Court ruling. “If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane,” she said.
Miller expanded on the legal reasoning, citing MS-13’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization.
“He is a citizen of El Salvador… Two immigration judges found that he was a member of MS-13 when President Trump declared MS-13 to be a foreign terrorist organization. That meant that he was no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States,” Miller said.
According to Miller, a lower court ruling had attempted to compel the administration to bring Garcia back to the U.S., but the Supreme Court unanimously reversed that order.
“No district court has the power to compel the foreign policy function of the United States,” Miller said, describing the high court’s 9-0 decision.
He added, “This issue was then, by a district court judge, completely inverted… The Supreme Court said the district court order was unlawful… No version of this, legally, ends up with him living here because he is a citizen of El Salvador.”
Bukele also addressed Collins directly when asked whether he planned to return Garcia.
“Of course, you’re not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States, right?” Bukele said.
“How can I return him to the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
He later emphasized El Salvador’s recent success in combating gang violence and rejected the idea of releasing such individuals.
“We just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country in the western hemisphere, and you want us to go back to releasing criminals?” Bukele asked.
“We’re not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that sentiment, noting, “The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the President of the United States, not by the court, and no court in the United States has the right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States. It’s that simple. End of story.”
JUST IN: President Trump has multiple members of his admin take turns ripping CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after she asked why an alleged MS-13 member was deported to El Salvador.
Lmao.
Pam Bondi, Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, as well as Nayib Bukele all ripped the media after Collins… pic.twitter.com/R7Y2ZOSt37
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 14, 2025
The press conference underscored the Trump administration’s continued emphasis on national security, immigration enforcement, and a firm stance on transnational criminal organizations.
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