On Tuesday, US officials acknowledged that a man had been transferred to a renowned prison in El Salvador due to an “administrative error” in the hasty deportation process, casting further doubt on President Donald Trump‘s severe immigration policies.
A major campaign pledge, the president’s government is waging a broad campaign against migrants, claiming the action is a crackdown on violent criminals like gang members.
However, increasing allegations that certain people have little or no ties to organised crime have infuriated Democrats, rights organisations, and even some Trump supporters, such as prominent podcaster Joe Rogan.
According to a court document filed on Monday, a Salvadoran man was flown to El Salvador earlier this month together with hundreds of other suspected gang members while residing in the United States under protected legal status.
Despite being suspected of gang membership in 2019, Abrego Garcia was found not guilty of any crimes, and a judge ordered that he not be deported because he would be harmed in El Salvador.
In Monday’s court filing, government lawyers admitted he had been deported in March in an “administrative error,” adding that US courts did not now have jurisdiction to secure his release.
The deportation of a gay barber has garnered public attention in the United States, and lawyers for several deportees claim that their clients were singled out due to their tattoos.
On Saturday, Rogan called it “horrific” that the drive to deport gang members could ensnare innocent individuals.
“You have to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting lassoed up and deported and sent to El Salvador prisons.
“Let’s get the gang members out. Everybody agrees. However, it is unacceptable to have innocent homosexual hairdressers together with gang members,” he said.
On social media, Vice President JD Vance asserted that Garcia belonged to the dangerous Salvadoran criminal group MS-13.
“The media has determined the real victims are the gang members we’re trying to get out of the country,” he said.
