‘Due process does look different’
The Trump administration has defended its deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — a Maryland man mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador — saying “due process does look different” for people they say are members of gangs the White House has designated as terrorist organizations.
Abrego Garcia was arrested and deported in March, despite having been granted protection by an immigration judge in 2019 that should have prevented him from being deported to El Salvador.
The Justice Department has admitted the deportation was an “administrative error,” but DOJ lawyers argued in court papers that he is a member of the criminal gang MS-13.
El Salvador presidential press office/via AP
“In every single case, there is due process,” McLaughlin said. But, she added, there are different processes for people deemed members of terrorist groups.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.