CNN Legal Analyst Agrees with Trump Admin: SCOTUS Did Not Order El Salvadoran Man Returned
CNN chief legal analyst Paula Reid agreed with Trump administration officials on Tuesday that the Supreme Court did not order them to return deported El Salvadoran citizen Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
On Monday, CNN’s Kaitlin Collins asserted during an Oval Office sit-down between President Donald Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele that SCOTUS had ordered the administration to bring Abrego Garcia back.
Last month, the Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia, whom they called an MS-13 gang member, to El Salvador, where he is now being held in a prison.
On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court held that U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’ order directing the Trump administration to “facilitate and effectuate the return” of Abrego Garica to the U.S. may exceed her authority.
The Court zeroed in on the term “effectuate,” saying, “The District Court should clarify its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs.”
The justices also instructed the Trump administration to be prepared to share what steps it has taken to facilitate Abrego Garica’s return.
Collins asked President Donald Trump, “Do you plan to ask President Bukele to help return the man who your administration says was mistakenly deported to El Salvador?”
.@kaitlancollins: “Do you plan to ask President Bukele to help return the man who…was mistakenly deported to El Salvador?”
President Bukele: “The question is preposterous.”
Responses are given from @AGPamBondi, @StephenM President Bukele, @SecRubio and President Trump. pic.twitter.com/NGXE5I3gd4
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 14, 2025
Trump directed the question to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who responded, “First and foremost, [Abrego Garcia] was illegally in our country. He had been illegally in our country. And in 2019, two courts, an immigration court and an appellate immigration court, ruled that he was a member of MS-13, and he was illegally in our country.”
“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him,” she added. “If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane.”
Bukele said that he has no intention of returning Abrego Garcia.
CNN’s Reid affirmed Bondi’s interpretation when questioned by colleague Jake Tapper whether the administration is ignoring the Supreme Court.
“They did not order the administration to return [Abrego Garcia] to the United States. They said that they need to facilitate his return. They could have said ‘We order him returned,’ but they didn’t do that,” Reid responded.
Even CNN Chief Legal Correspondent Paula Reid says the Trump administration is NOT violating the Supreme Court ruling on “Maryland Man” Kilmar Abrego Garcia:
“They did not order the administration to return him to the United States. They said that they need to facilitate his… pic.twitter.com/ancNPdyb8t
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 15, 2025
She added, “The Supreme Court appeared to defer to the executive branch, given that this is an international matter, and you see, yes, it does look a little bit like a semantic game, but they are playing within the bounds of what the Supreme Court ruled.
“So no, they are not defying this order.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained during Monday’s Oval Office meeting with Bukele that the administration does view the Abrego Garcia case as falling under the executive branch’s authority to oversee foreign policy.
“I don’t understand what the confusion is. This individual is a citizen of El Salvador. He was illegally in the United States, and was returned to his country,” Rubio said.
“The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the president of the United States, not by a court,” Rubio continued. “And no court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States.”
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