Immigration Hub’s Talbot Reacts to Trump-Bukele White House Meeting

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Trump hosted El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for a bilateral meeting at the White House, where the two mused about deporting American citizens to El Salvador’s mega prison (CECOT) and confirmed the Trump administration’s decision to defy a Supreme Court’s ruling ordering the release of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia –  a Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador due to a confirmed “administrative error” by ICE. 

Trump administration officials, Marco Rubio, Pam Bondi, and Stephen Miller, also present at the meeting, continued to spread lies about Abrego-Garcia, branding him a criminal, terrorist, and a member of MS-13 – despite zero evidence, convictions or charges related to these fabricated claims. When pressed about Abrego-Garcia’s case, President Bukele also deflected responsibility and echoed Trump’s abdication of leadership, saying, “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.” 

Kerri Talbot, the co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, released the following statement in response to the meeting: 

“Trump’s proposal to deport and jail American citizens in a foreign gulag, and his open defiance of a Supreme Court ruling lay bare the authoritarian ideology that underpins his alliance with Bukele. It’s clear that Presidents Trump and Bukele have forged a partnership rooted in exporting cruelty, eroding due process and dismantling democratic norms – and it should alarm every American. 

“The claim that the Trump administration lacks the power or authority to bring Abrego-Garcia back is simply false. Past administrations, including the Biden administration, have successfully facilitated the return of individuals who were wrongfully deported — including veterans deported during Trump’s first administration. The precedent and legal authority exist. What’s missing is the will to act – and the courage to take responsibility for the chaos that Trump’s mass deportation agenda has caused. 

“Despite their efforts to undermine the law and relinquish all responsibility, the Supreme Court has spoken: Abrego-Garcia was wrongly deported and must be returned to the U.S and reunited with his wife and children. No president is above the law and no family should be torn apart because President Trump refuses to be held accountable.” 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.