Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Sunday during an interview that the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a « screw-up » by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Kennedy took issue with his Senate colleague, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-MD., who has argued Garcia hasn’t experienced due process. Kennedy said that Kilmar had been in front of seventeen judges before turning to the Trump administration.
« This was a screw-up in my opinion. The administration won’t admit it, but this was a screw-up. Mr. Garcia was not supposed to be sent to El Salvador, he was sent to El Salvador. The Democrats [are] saying, ‘look, we told you Trump is a threat to democracy, this is going to happen every other Thursday afternoon.’ I don’t see any pattern here, » he said.
Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old illegal immigrant living in Maryland, was deported to the El Salvadoran megaprison « Terrorism Confinement Center » (CECOT) last month, and officials acknowledged in court his deportation was an administrative error, although now some top Trump officials say he was correctly removed and contend he’s a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, which Garcia’s attorneys deny.
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Pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker about whether he’s worried about it happening again, Kennedy said, « none of us want mistakes. »
« Mistakes bad, doing it right, good. But it was a screw-up, and I understand why the administration has bowed up and won’t admit it’s a mistake, because if they do, they’ll have their throats torn out, » he said.
Kennedy reiterated that he didn’t see a pattern of this type of mistake.
Abrego Garcia met with Van Hollen during his visit to El Salvador.
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« I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar, » Van Hollen said in a post on X. « Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. »
Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, joined ABC’s « Good Morning America » on Friday and was asked by host Michael Strahan about a protection order she filed against her husband in 2021.
In the filing, written in Sura’s own handwriting, she alleged Kilmar Abrego Garcia repeatedly beat her, saying, « At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me. »
When pressed on the filing by Strahan, Sura responded, « My husband is alive, that’s all I can say. »
« Okay, » Strahan, saying he now knows « not to push you on that, apparently. »
She ended the interview by declaring that she won’t stop fighting until Abrego Garcia returns home safely.
Fox News’ Alexander Hall and Alexa Moutevelis contributed to this report.
Source link : https://www.foxnews.com/media/gop-senator-says-trump-admin-deporting-kilmar-abrego-garcia-screw-up
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Publish date : 2025-04-21 01:00:00
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