New York Rep. To Introduce Bill Granting Protections To People Wrongfully Deported From The U.S.

The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Salvadoran counterpart Nayib Bukele was largely focused on the latter's willingness to accept U.S. deportees, particularly a Maryland man whose return has been ordered by the Supreme Court after it was determined he was wrongfully removed. But as both Trump and Bukele refused to do so, a New York lawmaker said his office was introducing a legislation offering protection to people that end up in these situations.

Concretely, congressman Ritchie John Torres told journalist Yashar Ali that he is planning to introduce the "RESCUE Act," a bill that would require the U.S. to take action if someone is wrongfully deported and if a foreign government also declines to comply with their return.

Under Torres' proposed legislation, the U.S. government would be required to suspend diplomatic ties, foreign aid, and visas for a country's government officials and their immediate family members until the person is returned to the United States, whether they are a citizen, a permanent resident, or a noncitizen who had lawful status at the time of their deportation, Ali detailed. Torres then reposted his message on X.

Both Bukele and Trump said they won't take steps to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a man the U.S. administration admitted was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month.

"How can El Salvador return him to the United States? By smuggling him? Of course we're not going to do that. I don't have the authority to return him," Bukele said at the Oval Office on Monday.

Other top Trump administration officials such as Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, said that Abrego Garcia's return is not up to the United States to decide, as the individual is a Salvadoran national.

"That's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That's not up to us," Bondi said, even though Bukele said the country doesn't have the authority to do so.

Torres' Repatriation of Expelled Sovereign Citizens and Unjustly Exiled Act would grant protection to asylees, refugees, TPS holders, Special Immigrant Juveniles, Deferred Action recipients and those with pending bona fide asylum or immigration cases in case officials do not comply with their lawful return.

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was deported in March despite a 2019 court order barring his removal to El Salvador. He had lived in Maryland under a valid work permit and, according to his lawyers, fled from El Salvador due to political violence in 2011. The administration has alleged that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with MS-13, a claim his legal team and his wife have strongly denied.

Torres is not the only lawmaker seeing to secure Abrego Garcia's immediate return to the U.S. Democratic Sen. Chris Van Holden sent out a letter to Milena Mayorga, the country's ambassador to the United States, asking for officials to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to Maryland.

In the letter, Van Hollen said that if the man is not returned to the country this week he will travel to the country to "discuss his release."