US officials said in court filings on Sunday that they were not obligated to help a Maryland resident get out of prison in El Salvador after he was erroneously deported, despite a Supreme Court ruling directing the government to "facilitate" his return to the United States.
Attorneys for the administration of President Donald Trump said the high court's order to "facilitate" the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia meant they should "remove any domestic obstacles that would otherwise impede the alien's ability to return here," not help extract him from El Salvador.
The Trump administration has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who was living in Maryland and has had a work permit since 2019, was deported in March in violation of an immigration judge's order blocking his removal to El Salvador.