Remember These Words: “Detained Purusant To The Sovereign Domestic Authority Of El Salvador”

A contentious hearing yesterday concluded with the judge demanding that the government answer three questions about Abrego Garcia by 5 pm today. Those questions were:

1. Where is he and what is his current custodial status?

2. What has the U.S. done thus far to facilitate Garcia’s return?

3. What will the U.S. do in the future to facilitate his return?

Over an hour past that deadline the government filed a declaration answering only the first question. In operative part, the declaration from Michael Kozak of the Department of State declared:

“Albrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. He is alive and secure in the facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign domestic authority of El Salvador.”

Those final words are a facially dishonest effort to claim he is beyond our reach. They contradict President Trump who only yesterday stated “If the Supreme Court said, ‘Bring somebody back,’ I would do that. … I respect the Supreme Court.” To say that he would do that is to admit he could do that. Now a representative of the Department of State swears “under penalty of perjury” that it cannot be done. Mr. Kozak should consider that the statute of limitations for perjury is five years and there may come a time when this administration can’t protect him from such a charge.

The government made no effort to answer the other two questions from the judge.

Of course the Supreme Court did order the Trump Regime to facilitate Garcia’s return. In contempt for the Supreme Court the Regime refuses to do so. The Regime in contempt for the District Court refuses to even say what it has done to try. Rather, the current strategy is declare that El Salvador is in full control, the mighty United States is helpless, with the implication that even trying is wasteful. All in contradiction with the President’s own words just the day before.

With this rational this Regime can deport anyone, be it you or me, or any political rival, to a foreign prison, pursuant to a Regime funded bribe to that foreign nation, and declare that what is done is irreversibly done because the detainee is now “detained pursuant to the sovereign domestic authority” of another country.

There is only one sure thing. If the Regime gets away with this mocking contempt for the courts, to include the Supreme Court, this will happen again. The Regime’s Concentration Camps will be unreachable so long as it offshores them.