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Bondi defiant, says Abrego Garcia will stay in El Salvador ‘end of the story’
Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled down on the Trump administration’s claim that it’s «up to El Salvador» whether Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant in Maryland who was wrongfully deported last month, can return to the U.S.
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday, Bondi reiterated her earlier claim that it is up to El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele whether his country opts to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., even though officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error.
«He is not coming back to our country,» Bondi told Fox News on Wednesday, in response to a question about his legal status during the briefing.
Abrego Garcia is a Salvadorian national who had been living in Maryland before he was deported in March. Now, he is believed to be held in his home country’s sprawling, maximum-security prison. Both a federal court and the Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to «facilitate» his release and return to the U.S. for proper deportation proceedings.
‘UP TO EL SALVADOR’: TRUMP ADMIN PUNTS ON RETURN OF WRONGFULLY DEPORTED MARYLAND RESIDENT
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center right, sit nearby as President Donald Trump meets with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele, left, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Bondi made clear Wednesday that they continue to see the issue as squarely in the purview of Bukele.
«President Bukele said he was not sending him back. That’s the end of the story,» she said. «If he wanted to send him back, we would give him a plane ride back. There was no situation, ever, where he was going to stay in this country. None.»
Her remarks come after the Supreme Court last week upheld a lower court’s order that requires the government to «facilitate» Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to «ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.»
On Tuesday, a federal judge in Maryland ordered Trump lawyers and plaintiffs to conduct an «intense,» expedited two-week discovery process into efforts made to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return – including ordering top DHS and State Department officials to be deposed, under oath, in efforts to secure his return as the court weighs whether the Trump administration has been acting in good faith.
«Cancel vacations, cancel other appointments,» U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis told both parties Tuesday, clearing the way for what she said would be an extremely fast-paced timeframe.
«There will be no tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding,» she said of the process.
Bondi also emphasized that Abrego Garcia is not a U.S. citizen and had been living «illegally in our country from El Salvador.»
FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING
A prison officer guards a cell at the maximum security penitentiary Center for the Compulsory Housing of Terrorism on Apr. 4, 2025 in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador. (Alex Peña/Getty Images)
That is not in dispute. A U.S. court granted Abrego Garcia temporary protected status in 2019, finding he faced a «clear probability of future persecution» if returned, and that «El Salvadoran authorities were and would be unable or unwilling to protect him.»
Neither the Supreme Court ruling nor the lower court orders require Abrego Garcia to remain in the U.S. Rather, the courts have stressed that individuals slated for deportation must be granted certain due process protections under the U.S. Constitution, including habeas protections that allow them to challenge their removal in court.
It was not the first time this week that Trump officials have suggested that El Salvador should have the final say on Abrego Garcia’s status.
They also made this claim on Monday, when President Donald Trump hosted Bukele at the White House for a bilateral summit.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to an El Salvador prison last month. (Fox News)
When asked by reporters about Abrego Garcia, Bondi and other Cabinet officials said the matter was up to Bukele’s administration.
«That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,» Bondi said then. «The Supreme Court ruled precedent that if El Salvador wanted to return him,» she continued. «This is international matters, foreign affairs.»
Bondi added that «if they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it – meaning to provide a plane.»
El Salvador has received hundreds of migrants from the U.S., including more than 200 Venezuelan nationals abruptly removed in March under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, and alleged members of the Salvadorian gang MS-13, under a $6 million deal struck with the U.S. earlier this year.
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White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller doubled down on Bondi’s assertion, noting that Abrego Garcia is a Salvadorian national.
«It’s very arrogant, even for American media, to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens as a starting point,» Miller told reporters, claiming that «two courts» had found Abrego Garcia to be a member of the MS-13 gang.
Donald Trump,Immigration,Justice Department,Trump’s First 100 Days,Politics
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A longtime federal prosecutor who left the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota last month amid a wave of resignations linked to concerns over the Trump administration’s handling of anti-ICE agitators has joined former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s defense team, court filings show.
Joseph H. Thompson, a former senior leader in the Minnesota U.S. attorney’s office before he resigned, will now defend Lemon alongside Abbe Lowell, bringing firsthand experience from the same federal district prosecuting the case. Lowell is a well-known defense attorney who has sparred with the Trump administration in a number of high-profile cases in the past year alone, representing New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook and former National Security Adviser John Bolton.
Lemon will fight these charges «vigorously and thoroughly» in court, Lowell told Fox News Digital last month.
According to a formal notice of appearance, Thompson will appear alongside Lemon in federal court Friday for an arraignment and initial court appearance in the Minnesota federal district.
DON LEMON TAPS HUNTER BIDEN’S ATTORNEY TO FIGHT TRUMP DOJ CHARGES
Pam Bondi, US attorney general, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Lemon, who describes himself as an independent journalist, was arrested last month for his alleged involvement in the storming of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, by anti-ICE agitators. Eight others were also arrested and charged in an event that Attorney General Pam Bondi described at the time as a «coordinated attack.»
«Make no mistake, under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,» Bondi said in a video posted to social media. «And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.»
Thompson is one of roughly 14 federal prosecutors who resigned from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota since January — a mass exodus many have attributed to the Justice Department’s handling of the unrest in Minnesota. He was one of five U.S. prosecutors who resigned from the office shortly after the fatal shooting of Renee Good and concerns over DOJ’s handling of the case.
«It was an honor and privilege to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in both the District of Minnesota and Northern District of Illinois,» Thompson said on LinkedIn to announce his departure. He did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the news that he will represent Lemon.
Thompson previously spent 11 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, including in key leadership roles. He served as the acting U.S. attorney for the district through October 2025 and headed up the fraud and public corruption section for the federal district.
MINNESOTA DRAGS TRUMP’S ICE TO COURT IN EFFORT TO PAUSE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN
Former CNN anchor and journalist Don Lemon speaks to the media after a hearing at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles on January 30, 2026. The Trump administration charged Lemon with civil rights crimes over coverage of immigration protests. (AFP via Getty)
Lemon was charged with conspiracy to deprive the rights of others and a FACE Act violation related to his alleged involvement with the anti-ICE disruption at Cities Church.
The group was seen chanting «ICE out,» according to video footage, and interrupting a worship service.
Lemon was released without bail on Jan. 30. The FACE Act, passed in 1994, is a federal law that prohibits the use of force, intimidation, or obstruction to deliberately «injure, intimidate, or interfere» with an individual’s ability to exercise their right to religious freedom at a place of worship.
FACE Act violations carry penalties ranging from fines to prison time, depending on the severity of the violation alleged and other contributing factors.
Because the FACE Act classifies a first-time violation involving the use of force or physical obstruction as a misdemeanor, Lemon could face a maximum of one year in federal prison if prosecutors seek those charges.
Lowell has argued the case against Lemon is an «unprecedented attack» on the First Amendment, and an attempt by the Justice Department to chill free speech protections.
Protesters chant and bang on trash cans as they stand behind a makeshift barricade during a protest. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
And Lemon, for his part, said he had been attending the demonstration in a reporting capacity.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Lemon remarked, «I’m just here photographing, I’m not part of the group … I’m a journalist.»
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«I went there to chronicle and document and record,» Lemon told Jimmy Kimmel in an interview last week, adding, «There is a difference between a protester and a journalist.»
Lowell echoed this claim. «Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done.»
politics,donald trump,minnesota fraud exposed,immigration,federal courts,crime world
INTERNACIONAL
Trump meets Netanyahu, says he wants Iran deal but reminds Tehran of ‘Midnight Hammer’ operation
Trump, Netanyahu meet at White House amid Iran talks
Fox News’ Peter Doocy reports the latest on President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Discussions cover Iran nuclear negotiations and the future ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza.
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Iran dominated the agenda in Wednesday’s White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders signaling that diplomacy with Tehran remains uncertain and that coordination will continue if talks fail.
In a post on Truth Social following the meeting, Trump said he pushed for continued negotiations but left open other options.
«There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be… Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a deal, and they were hit with Midnight Hammer — That did not work well for them.»
Netanyahu’s office said the leaders discussed Iran, Gaza and broader regional developments and agreed to maintain close coordination, adding that the prime minister emphasized Israel’s security needs in the context of negotiations.
FROM GAZA TO IRAN: WHAT’S AT STAKE IN TRUMP-NETANYAHU MAR-A-LAGO TALKS?
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House, Feb 11, 2025. (Avi Ohayun/ GPO)
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu formally joined the U.S.-backed Board of Peace, signing onto the initiative ahead of the meeting after weeks of hesitation. The move places Israel inside a forum that includes Western partners as well as Turkey and Qatar, whose involvement in Gaza has drawn criticism in Jerusalem.
Experts say the decision reflects strategic calculations tied to both Gaza and Iran.
Dr. Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said Netanyahu’s participation is directly linked to cooperation with Washington and to shaping postwar arrangements in Gaza.
«It is in Israel’s interest for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join the Board of Peace. He needs a place at that table even alongside adversarial powers such as Muslim Brotherhood-aligned countries Qatar and Turkey. Netanyahu’s membership in the Board of Peace is an important element in his cooperation with President Trump to help implement the 20-point plan, with deradicalization, disarming Hamas and demilitarization as the first three non-negotiable actions.»
ISRAELI OFFICIALS REPORTEDLY WARN IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILES COULD TRIGGER SOLO MILITARY ACTION AGAINST TEHRAN
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a document after their meeting in Washington, on Feb. 11, 2026. (Avi Ohayon/GPO/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Diker said the decision is also tied to Iran. «More strategic reason that Netanyahu’s membership on the Board of Peace is important is that it represents an element of cooperation to counter the Iranian regime. Netanyahu is likely counting on action against the Iranian regime from the Iranian people themselves and from the United States in the coming weeks. In exchange, Netanyahu continues to cooperate in implementing the 20-point plan in Gaza as part of a quid pro quo.»
Blaise Misztal, vice president for policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, described Israel’s move as a pragmatic choice shaped by the incomplete implementation of the Gaza deal and the broader regional threat environment.
«The implementation of the Gaza peace deal leaves much to be desired. Hamas, despite being given 72 hours to release all hostages, took over 100 days to do so; Hamas has still not disarmed; there is neither an International Stabilization Force nor any countries jumping at the chance to join it; and the Board of Peace comprises countries that have shown themselves enemies of peace with Israel.»
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President Donald Trump holds up his signature on the founding charter during a signing ceremony for the Board of Peace in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2026. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
He said Israel ultimately chose engagement over isolation. «Proceeding with the deal — including joining the Board of Peace — is Israel’s least bad option. Israel has a better chance of countering or balancing Turkish and Qatari influence on the Board of Peace by being in the room with them, rather than outside it.»
Misztal also linked the timing to Iran. «With the United States having a real chance to disarm, or even topple, the Iranian regime and the risk that Tehran might yet lash out at Israel, there is no interest in doing anything that would risk restarting the war in Gaza.»
iran,israel,middle east foreign policy,donald trump,benjamin netanyahu
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