Salvadoran President Bukele Mocks Abrego Garcia's Detention As He Returns To The U.S.: 'No More Margaritas Under Custody'

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele mocked Kilmar Abrego Garcia's detention following news that he has been released from custody in the country and is on his way back to the U.S, where he will be charged with smuggling migrants.

In a publication on X, Bukele made reference to his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump in April, where he flatly rejected returning Abrego Garcia. "As I said in the Oval Office:
1. I I would never smuggle a terrorist into the United States.
2. ⁠I would never release a gang member onto the streets of El Salvador.

That said, we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn't refuse."

The Central American president went on to mock Abrego Garcia by recalling his meeting with Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, in which the two had glasses with fruit wedges on the table. "No more margaritas under custody," said Bukele, who added an emoji with a sad face. Van Hollen said the glasses were set up by a Bukele aide to make it look like they were drinking."

The senator also reacted to the news about Abrego Garcia's release, saying "this is not about the man, it's about his constitutional rights."

"The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along," Van Hollen added.

Abrego Garcia has been at the center of a high-profile immigration dispute for weeks following his deportation to El Salvador, with immigration officials alleging ties to the MS-13 gang. The case has become emblematic of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, the administration defied for almost two months a Supreme Court ruling ordering the administration to facilitate his return.

The Justice Department for weeks has been investigating Abrego Garcia's ties to a man who operated an unauthorized transportation business and was used by unlawful migrants. That man allegedly charged $350 per person to move undocumented migrants across the United States and had previously employed Abrego Garcia.

Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that federal investigators interviewed Jose Ramon Hernandez-Reyes, a convicted felon currently imprisoned in Alabama. Hernandez-Reyes was listed as the owner of the vehicle Abrego Garcia was driving when he was stopped by Tennessee Highway Patrol in 2022.

Hernandez-Reyes told investigators he met Abrego Garcia around 2015 and claimed to have hired him several times to transport undocumented migrants from Texas to other parts of the country.

Body camera footage of the 2022 traffic stop shows Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding. He was transporting eight passengers and told troopers they had been working construction in Missouri. When asked for proof of insurance, Abrego Garcia said he needed to contact his boss, as he didn't know where the document was.

After troopers briefly discussed whether the situation might involve human trafficking citing the group's lack of luggage, Abrego Garcia was let go with only a warning about an expired driver's license, according to a Department of Homeland Security report released in April.