The U.S. Supreme Court confirmed on Thursday (11) the decision of a lower court that ordered the facilitation of the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran resident in Maryland, from a prison in El Salvador where federal authorities sent hundreds of crime suspects and gang members in March.
Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported to the Salvadoran mega-prison last month for being a supposed member of the MS-13 gang, but his lawyers claim he has no ties to gangs. The federal government failed to show evidence that the Salvadoran is a gang member.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered federal authorities to coordinate his return to Maryland, classifying his deportation as “wholly illegal.” On Thursday, the Supreme Court agreed with Xinis.
The Supreme Court also said that it “correctly requires the government to ‘facilitate’ the release of Abrego Garcia from custody in El Salvador and ensure that his case is handled as it would have been if he had not been improperly sent to El Salvador.”
The Department of Justice responded to the order in a statement to Fox News.
“As the Supreme Court correctly recognized, it is the President’s exclusive prerogative to conduct foreign relations,” the statement says. “By directly highlighting the deference owed to the Executive Branch, this decision once again illustrates that activist judges have no jurisdiction to take control of the President’s authority to conduct foreign policy.”
In other words, the federal government has given no indication that it will follow the Supreme Court’s order and “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Source: Fox News