Republican John Kennedy Calls Out Trump Admin 'Screw Up' With Abrego Garcia (1 Viewer)

[Rogue Valley]

Republican John Kennedy calls out Trump admin "screw up" with Abrego Garcia

The senator said the Trump administration's deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was a "screw up."

www.newsweek.com

4.20.25
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, called the Trump administration's deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia a "screw up" during a Sunday appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press. Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported to El Salvador after being arrested last month in what the Trump administration lawyers said was an "administrative error." His family denies any ties to gangs and Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. He has been ordered to return to the United States by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, but the White House and El Salvador have pushed back. A recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court instructed the administration to "facilitate" Garcia's release and return, but the White House has resisted efforts. Meanwhile, liberal and conservative judges have ruled the administration broke the law in the deportation of Abrego Garcia.

The Trump administration maintains that since Abrego Garcia is an El Salvadorian citizen and is in an El Salvadorian prison, they do not have the jurisdiction or means to extract him from a sovereign nation. Trump and Bukele brokered a $6 million deal for El Salvador to detain about 300 migrants, including alleged gang members, at the country's maximum-security prison, CECOT, for one year. The Republican senator continued: "Look this was a screw up in my opinion. The administration won't admit it, but this was a screw up. Mr. Garcia was not supposed to be sent to El Salvador, he was sent to El Salvador." Welker followed up with the senator, asking if he's concerned that more mistakes, like the deportation of Abrego Garcia, could happen. "Sure, none of us wantmistakes. Mistakes 'bad,' doing it right 'good,' but it was a screw up. I understand why the administration is bowed up and won't admit it's a mistake because if they do, they will have their throats torn out, but it was a screw up, I don't see any pattern here." The senator pledged to call out Trump if he defies court orders but added that hasn't happened yet.

Trump also reportedly told the Salvadorian president, "The homegrowns [US citizens] are next, the homegrowns. You've got to build about five more places," presumably in reference to prison space, with Salvadorian president Bukele responding "yeah, we've got space," according to NPR. The legal viability of Trump's potential plan is extremely unclear, with David Bier, the director of immigration studies at the think tank Cato Institute, recently telling NPR: "It's obviously unconstitutional, obviously illegal. There's no authority in any U.S. law to deport U.S. citizens and certainly not to imprison them in a foreign country." When asked about it by Welker, Kennedy, who is an attorney, said the idea of sending US citizens to prisons abroad should not be "considered appropriate or moral" adding that "we shouldn't send prisoners to foreign countries."

Note: A the end of each trial in which a person is convicted, a penalty phase is held regarding a sentence for the convicted. After sentencing, the convicted is led from the courtroom by a court baillif. Technically however, sentenced prisoners are in the custody of either state prison authorities, or the US Bureau of Prisons. Numerous US statutes ban the deportation of US citizens. It would also be a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The Trump administration is using the arcane Alien Enemies Act to avoid criminal trials, and to avoid due process..... to which everyone on US soil is entitled no matter their status.

 

[Allan]

"The homegrowns [US citizens] are next

 

[Stealers Wheel]

Republican John Kennedy calls out Trump admin "screw up" with Abrego Garcia

The senator said the Trump administration's deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was a "screw up."

www.newsweek.com

Trump also reportedly told the Salvadorian president, "The homegrowns [US citizens] are next, the homegrowns. You've got to build about five more places," presumably in reference to prison space, with Salvadorian president Bukele responding "yeah, we've got space," according to NPR. The legal viability of Trump's potential plan is extremely unclear, with David Bier, the director of immigration studies at the think tank Cato Institute, recently telling NPR: "It's obviously unconstitutional, obviously illegal. There's no authority in any U.S. law to deport U.S. citizens and certainly not to imprison them in a foreign country." When asked about it by Welker, Kennedy, who is an attorney, said the idea of sending US citizens to prisons abroad should not be "considered appropriate or moral" adding that "we shouldn't send prisoners to foreign countries."

Note: A the end of each trial in which a person is convicted, a penalty phase is held regarding a sentence for the convicted. After sentencing, the convicted is led from the courtroom by a court baillif. Technically however, sentenced prisoners are in the custody of either state prison authorities, or the US Bureau of Prisons. Numerous US statutes ban the deportation of US citizens. It would also be a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The Trump administration is using the arcane Alien Enemies Act to avoid criminal trials, and to avoid due process..... to which everyone on US soil is entitled no matter their status.

Well, Kennedy can kiss his career goodbye. No doubt Trump will call on MAGA to primary his ass soon.

People gotta learn.

 

[OrphanSlug]

I have no shits to give for Senator John Kennedy suddenly developing a conscience for a condition he greatly enabled to happen.

As for the Trump administration, fascism is as fascism does. On that same Meet the Press segment with Kennedy, and I am really beginning to dislike Kristen Welker for failing to control an interview, he went onto backtracking a bit calling it a "mistake" then doubled down saying an Administration should not ignore the judicial branch but then more or less forgave Trump for doing so.

 

[Callen]

He won't likely be in trouble. Trump wants this front and center and he doesn't care how. I think the Dems should leave this to the courts and stop giving this oxygen. It only plays into Trump's hand.

 

[Rogue Valley]

and I am really beginning to dislike Kristen Welker for failing to control an interview,

I also dislike Welker for the same reason. And she avoids confrontation/clarifying a point even if someone is quite obviously lying. She allows lies to slide right on by.

David Hogg, a panelist yesterday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos really laid into former chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus for supporting deportations without due process.

It was refreshing.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Don't worry MAGAs - Stephen Miller will be along shortly to assure you Garcia's a dangerous terrorist, Trump is your Great Defender, and Kennedy an obvious communist and puppy kicker.

 

[Parrish]

What I wanna know, what's with his new haircut and groomed brows? Is he going after statesman status? Was it me or did he tone down his Andy Griffith folksy schtick and sound more like he did when he was democrat?