Vance reacts to questioning after man deported to Salvadoran prison by mistake
Vice President JD Vance has recently responded to comments regarding the Trump administration’s admission of sending a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to a megaprison in El Salvador by mistake. Vance’s response came after a question from “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau, where he stated, “It’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize.”
The administration’s attorneys acknowledged the error in a court filing, where they sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador by mistake. This mistake was first reported by The Atlantic. Despite this admission, the administration argued that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the prison where he is currently incarcerated.
Abrego Garcia was among three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants sent to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 due to alleged gang affiliations. However, attorneys representing some of the removed Venezuelan migrants have disputed the administration’s classification of these individuals as gang members based on their tattoos.
The administration has defended its actions, stating that certain tattoos, including symbols like a crown or NBA legend Michael Jordan’s “Jumpman” logo, indicate gang affiliations. While responding to Favreau’s question, Vance emphasized that Abrego Garcia was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be in the U.S.
The court filing revealed that Abrego Garcia was denied bond in 2019 based on an informant’s allegation of MS-13 membership, although he has not been formally convicted. He came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 to escape gang threats in El Salvador and was granted protected status known as “withholding of removal” eight years later.
Vance’s comments have sparked further debate on the issue of deporting individuals with criminal backgrounds, highlighting the complexities of immigration policies and the need to balance national security with humanitarian concerns. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for additional comments on the matter.
