Could Kilmar Abrego Garcia Accompany El Salvador President Bukele Back to U.S.?

(Salvador Melendez/Associated Press)

The Trump Administration, through the State Department, has confirmed that the wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia is alive but "detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”

Of course, this is nonsense.

Abrego Garcia was detained by ICE under the authority of the Trump Administration and, as it turned out, was wrongfully detained. El Salvador is just where he ended up.

The Trump Administration's claim that Abrego Garcia has been detained by El Salvador flies in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that they must "facilitate" his release.

The only way I see Abrego Garcia ever leaving El Salvador is if he accompanies President Nayib Bukele to the United States on Monday where he is due in Washington for a White House visit with President Trump.

I could see this happening as a propaganda photo-op masquerading as a goodwill gesture from Bukele in an effort to portray himself as a benevolent figure. Who knows? Bukele might bring Abrego Garcia to the White House and bring Trump into the proceedings?

It would be a great indignity to Abrego Garcia, who would be forced to be in the presence of these two awful men.  Although I suppose a couple of hours with Bukele and Trump are preferable to spending the rest of his life in a supermax. 

There is a certain strategic value for both Bukele and Trump by releasing Abrego Garcia. If Bukele does brings Abrego Garcia back to the United States, it removes scrutiny of his supermax prisons and the Trump Administration who will continue to be under scrutiny from District Court Judge Paula Xinis who is demanding the Trump Administration take steps to facilitate his release. 

As odious as both Bukele and Trump are, this is probably the best opportunity for Abrego Garcia to attain his freedom. That is, of course, assuming the Trump Administration doesn't turn out and try to issue "trumped" up charges of gang affiliation. 

Whatever the case, if Kilmar Abrego Garcia isn't on that plane with President Bukele on Monday, I don't think he will ever leave El Salvador.