Trump expresses desire to send violent US citizens to overseas jails: "I would 'love' it"
In a discussion with Time Magazine, Trump reiterated his plan to deport “homegrown criminals,” a move that has been welcomed by El Salvador.
TroibNews 
This week, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his controversial proposal to send American citizens to overseas prisons.
“I would love to do that if it were permissible by law,” Trump stated during an interview with Time magazine, which was conducted on Tuesday and released on Friday. “We're looking into that.”
Trump's remarks follow earlier comments he made this month in a Fox News interview, where he indicated that his administration is exploring the legality of transferring “homegrown criminals” — American citizens — to foreign facilities, particularly in El Salvador. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has expressed support for this proposal.
“If you ask me whether or not I would do that, I would,” Trump noted in the Time interview. “People are looking to see if it would be allowed under law.”
In the Fox interview where he first addressed the issue, Trump declared his administration was “all for” sending violent American criminals to overseas prisons and mentioned his admiration for Bukele’s maximum-security facility known as the Terrorism Confinement Center. Up to this point, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of undocumented migrants to the Salvadoran prison, often with little to no due process.
When questioned by Time about the details, Trump seemed defensive, insisting that he has “absolutely no problem” with deporting “career criminals” to the Central American nation. He also stated that the U.S. was paying Bukele “less than we would normally” for housing these prisoners.
During a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office two weeks ago, Bukele addressed the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was recently and illegally deported to El Salvador. “How can I return him to the United States? Am I going to smuggle him? Of course I’m not going to do it,” Bukele remarked. “The question is preposterous.”
The Supreme Court has directed the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, but Trump’s officials remain resolute in their stance.
“That’s not up to us,” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in the Oval Office regarding the case. “If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it.”
The Abrego Garcia case has triggered notable backlash from congressional Democrats, particularly Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to El Salvador last week to meet with the Maryland man.
Additionally, on Thursday, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Trump administration must return another man who had been illegally deported from the U.S. to El Salvador, in violation of a previous court order. The 20-year-old Venezuelan man was deported in March in contravention of a court-approved settlement agreement established the previous year.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
“I would love to do that if it were permissible by law,” Trump stated during an interview with Time magazine, which was conducted on Tuesday and released on Friday. “We're looking into that.”
Trump's remarks follow earlier comments he made this month in a Fox News interview, where he indicated that his administration is exploring the legality of transferring “homegrown criminals” — American citizens — to foreign facilities, particularly in El Salvador. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has expressed support for this proposal.
“If you ask me whether or not I would do that, I would,” Trump noted in the Time interview. “People are looking to see if it would be allowed under law.”
In the Fox interview where he first addressed the issue, Trump declared his administration was “all for” sending violent American criminals to overseas prisons and mentioned his admiration for Bukele’s maximum-security facility known as the Terrorism Confinement Center. Up to this point, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of undocumented migrants to the Salvadoran prison, often with little to no due process.
When questioned by Time about the details, Trump seemed defensive, insisting that he has “absolutely no problem” with deporting “career criminals” to the Central American nation. He also stated that the U.S. was paying Bukele “less than we would normally” for housing these prisoners.
During a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office two weeks ago, Bukele addressed the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was recently and illegally deported to El Salvador. “How can I return him to the United States? Am I going to smuggle him? Of course I’m not going to do it,” Bukele remarked. “The question is preposterous.”
The Supreme Court has directed the Trump administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, but Trump’s officials remain resolute in their stance.
“That’s not up to us,” Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in the Oval Office regarding the case. “If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it.”
The Abrego Garcia case has triggered notable backlash from congressional Democrats, particularly Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who traveled to El Salvador last week to meet with the Maryland man.
Additionally, on Thursday, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Trump administration must return another man who had been illegally deported from the U.S. to El Salvador, in violation of a previous court order. The 20-year-old Venezuelan man was deported in March in contravention of a court-approved settlement agreement established the previous year.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
