President Donald Trump informed NBC News that the choice to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States from El Salvador was made by the Department of Justice. Garcia had been wrongfully deported in March.
During a Saturday phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump was asked what went into his decision to bring Garcia back.
‘That decision wasn’t mine. The Department of Justice opted for that method, and that’s acceptable. There were a couple of approaches available, and they chose that route,’ Trump explained to Welker.
‘I think for speed, and, you know, it should be a very easy case,’ Trump continued.
Welker continued to inquire, asking the President, ‘Do you believe he will be convicted? Do you think the case will be straightforward?’
‘I think it should be. It should be. You have two different cases. This would go faster,’ Trump replied.
Welker then asked Trump what he thought of Democrats who advocated for Garcia’s return, including Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who made a public case for Garcia being denied due process.
‘He’s a loser. The guy’s a loser. They’re going to lose because of that same thing. That’s not what people want to hear,’ Trump responded.
‘He’s trying to defend a man who’s got a horrible record of abuse, abuse of women in particular. No, he’s a total loser– this guy,’ Trump concluded.
‘He’s a loser. The guy’s a loser’ President Donald Trump said of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a ‘Maryland man’ who has been returned to the United States after being deported to El Salvador in March
US Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) holding a meeting with Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a US resident wrongfully deported to his home country, at a hotel in San Salvador on April 17, 2025
Documents made public by the Department of Justice show that Garcia ‘was validated as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MSl3) Gang’ in 2019, also noting at the time that he did not claim ‘fear of returning to his country.’
This undated photo provided by CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, in April 2025, shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia
During a press conference that took place Friday as Garcia was returning to the United States, Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a series of charges against Garcia, who was allegedly part of an international smuggling ring.
‘Over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,’ Bondi noted Friday.
‘They found this was his full time job, not a contractor. He was a smuggler of humans and children and women,’ Bondi continued.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche held a news conference about Kilmar Abrego Garcia at the Justice Department, Friday June 6, 2025, in Washington
‘Over the past nine years, Abrego Garcia has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring,’ Bondi noted Friday
A CBS News poll released Sunday showed that 54% of respondents approved of the Trump Administration’s program to deport immigrants in the United States illegally.
53% of poll respondents said they believed that the Administration is prioritizing the deportation of dangerous criminals.
Notably, CBS News also found that 55% of poll respondents liked the goals of Trump’s deportation program, while 56% disliked his approach.
