El Salvador President Nayib Bukele arrives at the White House today in what might seem like a routine diplomatic visit — but it lands squarely in the middle of an increasingly tangled and high-stakes legal showdown.
Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling ordering the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego García, a legal U.S. resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
At first glance, it looked like a clear victory for Abrego García and a sharp rebuke of the government.
But the Justice Department saw things differently — and quickly went on offense.
By the weekend, Trump administration lawyers were already arguing that the high court’s decision didn’t mean they had to extract Abrego García from a Salvadoran prison.
Instead, they claimed the order only required them to remove domestic barriers to his reentry — essentially washing their hands of the matter beyond U.S. borders.
Their legal argument rests on a single line in the Supreme Court’s opinion noting the “deference owed to the Executive Branch in the conduct of foreign affairs.”
It’s a bold interpretation — and a revealing one — as the Trump administration is increasingly testing the limits of judicial oversight.
And now, as President Trump welcomes Bukele to the White House, one might expect the issue to be raised — especially given the headlines.
But so far, there’s been no indication Trump plans to mention it.
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