'Error from hell' that led to mistaken deportation could come for Americans next: opinion

An opinion piece in The Washington Post written by columnist Monica Hesse warned that the "administrative error from hell" that doomed Kilmar Abrego García to a notorious Salvadoran prison could easily condemn American citizens next.

Garcia, originally from El Salvador, was granted a form of asylum to remain in the U.S. to protect him from gang violence in his home country. He was living in Maryland with his wife, an American citizen, when federal agents accused him of being involved with the violent gang MS-13 and shipped him back to Central America. Garcia has denied any connection to MS-13.

At first, the White House admitted it had "made a mistake" when it deported Garcia, but domestic policy adviser Stephen Miller walked that back on Monday, saying, “This was the right person sent to the right place.” And, although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration must "facilitate" Garcia's return to the U.S., neither President Donald Trump nor El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele claimed they had the power to do so.

WaPo opinion writer Monica Hesse wrote Tuesday that American citizens who believe this scenario can't happen to them should reconsider.

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"On Monday, Trump said that he had no problems with the idea of sending American citizens to be imprisoned in El Salvador," Hesse wrote.

The U.S. has already paid El Salvador $6 million to imprison deported immigrants, and Trump told Bukele to build "about five more places" to imprison what he called, "homegrown terrorists."

Trump said that he would be happy to send American citizens to El Salvador who commit crimes like pushing "people into subways," hitting "people over the back of the head" and purposely running "people over in cars."

"If he would take them," Trump said of Bukele, "I would be honored to give them."

Hesse, however, doesn't think that this president has earned the benefit of the doubt.

”What we have learned from this case is that whoopsies happen," she contended. "And according to the U.S. government, once you’ve cleared U.S. airspace, once your head has been shaved and you’ve been issued some shower sandals and a fetid cell, once your wife is standing in front of cameras begging anyone who will listen to return her husband and the father of her children — once all of that has happened, there’s really nothing they can do to facilitate your release. They won’t even try."

Read the Washington Post opinion column here.