Vance Defends Deportation Amid Controversy Over Mistaken Removal of Salvadoran Man
Vice President JD Vance has responded strongly to criticism regarding the mistaken deportation of a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
In a recent development that has sparked controversy, Vice President JD Vance has defended the Trump administration’s actions following the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. Garcia, who was mistakenly sent to the country’s ‘Terrorism Confinement Center’ on March 15, was among several migrants deported on allegations of gang affiliations. The administration later admitted in a court filing that Garcia’s deportation was a mistake, yet claimed that U.S. courts lack the jurisdiction to order his return from the prison.
Vance took to social media platform X to address the issue, responding to a query from ‘Pod Save America’ host Jon Favreau. He stated, “It’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize.” This comment was in reference to the broader context of the deportation operation, which involved three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants.
The controversy deepened as attorneys for some of the deported Venezuelan migrants argued that the administration had misidentified several individuals as gang members based solely on their tattoos. Tattoos such as a crown or the iconic ‘Jumpman’ logo of NBA legend Michael Jordan were flagged as gang-related, leading to their removal. Despite these claims, the administration insists that those deported were indeed affiliated with gangs.
Further complicating the situation, court documents reveal that Abrego Garcia, who came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, was granted ‘withholding of removal’ status in 2019. This status was granted after a judge determined that he would likely face persecution from Salvadoran gangs if returned to his home country. Despite this, he was denied bond in 2019 over an informant’s unverified claim of his MS-13 gang membership, though he has never been convicted of such affiliation.
Vance’s comments and the administration’s stance continue to fuel debate over immigration policies and the treatment of migrants, highlighting the complexities and potential errors in the deportation process.