Judge to order Trump officials to testify in Kilmar Garcia deportation case

US District Judge Paula Xinis issued her order after Trump officials continually refused to retrieve Kilmar Garcia, saying they defied a clear Supreme Court order

A federal judge in Maryland will order sworn testimony by officials in President Donald Trump's administration to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison.

US District Judge Paula Xinis issued her order after Trump officials continually refused to retrieve Abrego Garcia, saying they defied a clear Supreme Court order.

She said the process could take two weeks and told the attorneys on both sides to cancel any vacations or appointments. The bottom line is it was a very simple directive, Xinis said of her own order. I've got nothing. I've got no real response.

 

The afternoon hearing came a day after White House advisers repeated the claim that they lack the authority to bring back the Salvadoran national from his native country. The president of El Salvador also said Monday that he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling a terrorist into the United States.

Here's the latest:  Biden: 30 per cent of the country has no heart  Towardas the end of his speech Tuesday, the former president offered a somber reflection and said the country should not forget about upholding fundamental American values.

After referring to how divided the nation is, Biden said there is a 30 per cent that has no heart.

It's what we see in America. It's what we believe in fairness. And that's the America we can never forget or walk away from, Biden said.

His reference to heartless people was interpreted on social media by some conservatives as an insult to Trump supporters.

Maryland Democratic senator to travel to El Salvador  Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced that he will make the trip Wednesday to investigate the wellbeing of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was recently deported to a notorious prison in the Central American country in a move that officials have said was erroneous.

Following his abduction and unlawful deportation, U.S. federal courts have ordered the safe return of my constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States, Van Hollen said in a statement. It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration must facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, and a federal judge presiding over the case ordered an intense two-week investigation into the government's conduct. During a Monday Oval Office meeting, President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said Garcia's return was not possible.

Van Hollen earlier sent a letter to El Salvador's US ambassador requesting a meeting with Bukele, but he was rebuffed.