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Post Reports

The mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego García

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.45.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For the past few weeks, one man has become a focal point for President Donald Trump’s war on immigration. Kilmar Abrego García was mistakenly deported and sent to a Salvadoran prison last month. Abrego García’s deportation has become a legal battle over the rights of immigrants and the boundaries of executive power.


Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with immigration reporter Maria Sacchetti about how Abrego García became collateral damage in Trump’s immigration fight.


Today’s show was produced by Ariel Plotnick with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks also to Lucas Trevor and Lucy Perkins.



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Transcript

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0:00.0

On Monday, President Donald Trump welcomed an unlikely ally to the White House.

0:07.2

And I want to just say a lot of the people of El Salvador and say they have one hell

0:12.5

of a president.

0:13.5

The leader of El Salvador, President Naya Buckele, a man who has called himself, quote,

0:18.8

the world's coolest dictator.

0:20.1

Well, it's an honor to be here in the office

0:22.8

with the president and leader of the real world.

0:26.9

We're very happy.

0:28.8

The two men exchanged praise for each other.

0:31.5

And they talked about the important role

0:35.5

Al Salvador is playing in Trump's immigration policy.

0:40.5

Because currently, the U.S. is paying El Salvador millions of dollars to detain deportees from the U.S.

0:46.7

And to lock them up in the country's notorious megaprison.

0:50.2

We know that you have a crime problem, a terrorism problem that you need help for.

0:58.0

And we're a small country, but if we can help, we can do us.

1:02.0

This meeting happened at a critical time for immigration policy in the United States.

1:07.0

Because in the courts, right now, there's a battle brewing over the fate of one of those deported

1:12.1

migrants in the Salvadoran prison, a man named Kilmar-Abrego-Garcia.

1:17.4

Justice Department officials acknowledged that Abrago-Garcia was mistakenly deported from the U.S.

1:22.4

to El Salvador last month.

1:24.2

And this error has erupted into a monumental legal battle, one that could define the rights

1:29.1

of immigrants and the very boundaries of executive power. The U.S. Supreme Court says Trump officials

...

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