El Salvador will not return Kilmar Ábrego García, a man the U.S. deported in error and who is now being held in one of the country’s high-security mega-prisons, President Nayib Bukele confirmed Monday during a White House meeting with President Donald Trump.

Ábrego García, a Venezuelan national who had been living in Maryland with his family, was granted legal protection from deportation by a U.S. court in 2019. Despite that, he was deported earlier this year to El Salvador’s notorious Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (Cecot) alongside more than 250 others, including other Venezuelans and Salvadorans, under a Trump administration crackdown targeting alleged gang members.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Ábrego García’s return. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi argued the responsibility now lies with El Salvador. “It’s up to them if they want to return him,” she said.

President Trump praised Bukele for their growing partnership on deportations, including a new agreement that allows the U.S. to deport individuals it deems gang-affiliated to El Salvador—regardless of their nationality. Though Ábrego García’s attorney insists he has no gang affiliations, U.S. officials claim he is tied to MS-13, a designation his legal team vehemently denies.

During the White House meeting, Trump went further, suggesting he would like to deport even U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes to El Salvador—provided the law allows it.

“We always follow the law, but we have homegrown monsters—people who push others into subways or attack the elderly,” Trump said. “I’d like to include them in this group, but we’ll have to review the legal pathways.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that another 10 suspected gang members were transferred to Cecot, despite mounting legal objections. The Trump administration has labeled MS-13 and Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist organizations.

In its latest court filing, the U.S. Department of Justice cited Bukele’s public refusal to return Ábrego García as a development in the case. The administration maintains that returning him is no longer feasible and characterizes the issue as a matter of foreign policy—outside judicial authority.

Ábrego García’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, a U.S. citizen, condemned the decision. “The Trump and Bukele administrations continue to play political games with his life,” she said in a statement. “My heart is heavy, but I hold on to hope and the strength of those around me. For our children and for every immigrant fighting for loved ones, we will not stop.”

Though U.S. officials acknowledge Ábrego García’s deportation was the result of an “administrative error,” they continue to claim he is a gang member—an assertion his attorney strongly disputes. The court has ordered the administration to provide daily updates on efforts to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.