US attorney general says Kilmar Ábrego García has been returned to the US and indicted on human smuggling charges
At a news conference, the US attorney general, Pamela Bondi, just announced that Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador in violation of a court order, has been returned to the United States and charged with criminal charges related to smuggling undocumented immigrants inside the United States.
Bondi said that the US government presented an arrest warrant for Ábrego García to El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele.
She also said that the grand jury indictment on 21 May was based on recently discovered facts and that the grand jury “found that over the past nine years, Ábrego García has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring.”
“Upon completion of his sentence, we anticipate he will be returned to his country of El Salvador”, Bondi said.
Bondi suggested that Ábrego García was involved in other crimes, based on what unnamed co-conspirators allege, but he was only indicted on two counts related to the alleged smuggling.
In response to a reporter’s question, Bondi said that Ábrego García would serve a prison sentence in the US if convicted, on charges that carry a possible sentence of 10 years, and then be deported to El Salvador again.
Key events
White House uses new charges against Ábrego García to attack Democrats who protested his deportation without due process
White House officials have wasted no time in using the newly announced criminal charges against Kilmar Ábrego García to attack Democrats who objected to his deportation without due process in violation of a previous court order.
Writing on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, the White House’s official account dedicated to partisan “rapid response” resurfaced an April post from Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat whose constituents include Ábrego García’s wife, to suggest that he should now be ashamed of having stood up for the undocumented Maryland resident’s due process rights.
“A grand jury found his full-time job was human smuggling, Chris”, the White House account commented. “He spent his entire life abusing people — including women and children. This is who you spent so much time defending. Shame on you.”
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also using the platform owned by a former Trump aide who called for the president to be impeached just yesterday, claimed that the indictment against Ábrego García “proves the unhinged Democrat Party was wrong, and their stenographers in the Fake News Media were once again played like fools.”
Apparently unaware that the allegations have yet to be tested in court, the president’s chief spokesperson insisted that “Democrat lawmakers” including Van Hollen, “and every single so-called ‘journalist’ who defended this illegal criminal abuser must immediately apologize to Garcia’s victims.”
US attorney general says Kilmar Ábrego García has been returned to the US and indicted on human smuggling charges
At a news conference, the US attorney general, Pamela Bondi, just announced that Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador in violation of a court order, has been returned to the United States and charged with criminal charges related to smuggling undocumented immigrants inside the United States.
Bondi said that the US government presented an arrest warrant for Ábrego García to El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele.
She also said that the grand jury indictment on 21 May was based on recently discovered facts and that the grand jury “found that over the past nine years, Ábrego García has played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring.”
“Upon completion of his sentence, we anticipate he will be returned to his country of El Salvador”, Bondi said.
Bondi suggested that Ábrego García was involved in other crimes, based on what unnamed co-conspirators allege, but he was only indicted on two counts related to the alleged smuggling.
In response to a reporter’s question, Bondi said that Ábrego García would serve a prison sentence in the US if convicted, on charges that carry a possible sentence of 10 years, and then be deported to El Salvador again.
US criminal indictment charges Kilmar Ábrego García with transporting undocumented immigrants in 2022
We are waiting for the start of a livestreamed justice department news conference, which is expected to deal with the indictment of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador and is reportedly on his way back to the United States to face new criminal charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee which prompted officers to suspect that he might have been transporting undocumented migrants.
The criminal indictment, which was filed on 21 May, accuses Ábrego García of being “a member and associate” of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and charges him with taking part in a conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants inside the United States.
The reportedly imminent return to the United States of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador in violation of a court order that he should not be sent there because he had a reasonable fear of persecution in that country, comes nearly two months after the attorney general, Pamela Jo Bondi, insisted that it would never happen.
“He is not coming back to our country” Bondi told reporters at a news conference on 16 April. “President Bukele said he was not sending him back. That’s the end of the story.”
Asked if she could provide evidence that he was a member of the MS-13 gang, Bondi said only that the allegation was contained in a 2019 court hearing.
Kilmar Ábrego García on his way back to the US to face criminal charges – report
Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man unlawfully deported to El Salvador, is on his way back to the US where he will face criminal charges, ABC News is reporting, citing sources.
A federal grand jury has indicted Ábrego García for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the US, according to the report.
The outlet, citing sources, reports that a two-count indictment, filed under seal in federal court in Tennessee last month, alleges that Ábrego García participated in a years-long conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants from Texas to the interior of the country.
Among those allegedly transported were members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13, according to the report. The alleged conspiracy spanned nearly a decade, according to the report.
US and China to hold trade talks on 9 June in London, says Trump
A US trade delegation including three cabinet officials will meet with trade representatives from China in London on Monday “with reference to the trade deal”, Donald Trump has announced.
He posted on Truth Social:
I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal. The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
It comes a day after Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping held a “very good” phone call during which they discussed “some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal”, Trump said.
Trump also said Xi had invited him to visit China, an invitation he aid he reciprocated.
Xi said of the call that a “consensus has been reached”, adding that the two sides “should enhance consensus” as well as “reduce misunderstanding, strengthen cooperation” and “enhance exchanges”. “Dialogue, cooperation is the only right choice for China and the US,” the Chinese president said.
Analysis: Money can’t buy him love – Republicans give Elon Musk the cold shoulder
Robert Tait
Elon Musk may believe his money bought the presidential election and the House of the Representatives for the Republicans. But he is discovering painfully and quickly that it has not bought him love, loyalty or even fear among many GOP members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
Faced with the choice of siding with Musk, the world’s richest man, or Donald Trump, after the two staged a public relationship breakdown for the ages on Thursday, most Republicans went with the man in the Oval Office, who has shown an unerring grasp of the tactics of political intimidation and who remains the world’s most powerful figure even without the boss of Tesla and SpaceX by his side.
The billionaire tech entrepreneur, who poured about $275m into Trump’s campaign last year, tried to remind Washington’s political classes of his financial muscle on Thursday during an outpouring of slights against a man for whom he had once professed platonic love and was still showering with praise up until a week before.
One after another, Republican House members came out to condemn him and defend Trump, despite having earlier been told by Musk that “you know you did wrong” in voting for what has become Trump’s signature legislation that seeks to extend vast tax cuts for the rich.
Troy Nehls, a GOP representative from Texas, captured the tone, addressing Musk before television cameras:
You’ve lost your damn mind. Enough is enough. Stop this.
It chimed with the sentiments of many others. “Nobody elected Elon Musk, and a whole lot of people don’t even like him, to be honest with you, even on both sides,” Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey congressman, told Axios.
“We’re getting people calling our offices 100% in support of President Trump,” Kevin Hern, a representative from Oklahoma, told the site.
Every tweet that goes out, people are more lockstep behind President Trump and [Musk is] losing favour.
Republicans were balancing the strength of Trump’s voice among GOP voters versus the power of the increasingly unpopular Musk’s money – and most had little doubt which matters most.
“On the value of Elon playing against us in primaries compared to Trump endorsing us in primaries, the latter is 100 times more relevant,” Axios quoted one unnamed representative as saying.
Trump administration preparing to strip federal funding from California – CNN
Lauren Gambino
The Trump administration is preparing to make good on the president’s threat to strip “large scale” federal funding from California, an effort that could begin as early as Friday, according to CNN.
The report says agencies have been directed to start identifying grants the administration can withhold from the state. A whistleblower reportedly told a congressional committee that the administration was planning to cut all research grants to California.
The White House has not commented on the plans. The timeline remains speculative, and it is unclear what grants would be targeted.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding as a way to force states, institutions and universities to comply with his agenda. Last week, he said California could lose “large scale” funding “maybe permanently” if the state continued to allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ and women’s sports.
The declaration appeared to be in reference to a transgender track-and-field star from southern California. On Saturday, she won two gold medals and a silver, which she shared with other teen athletes under a new rule by the state’s high school sports body.
Trump had also repeatedly threatened to withhold federal disaster aid, assailing the state’s Democratic leaders for their handling of the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles earlier this year.
More from House speaker Mike Johnson, who has told CNBC he has been texting with Elon Musk and hopes the dispute is resolved quickly.
He said of the “big, beautiful bill”:
I don’t argue with [Musk] about how to build rockets and I wish he wouldn’t argue with me about how to craft legislation and pass it.
Johnson earlier issued a warning: “Do not second-guess and don’t ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump.”
He had also projected confidence that the Trump-Musk dispute won’t affect prospects for the tax and border bill. “Members are not shaken at all,” he said. “We’re going to pass this legislation on our deadline.”
Bannon says no ‘going back’ for Musk after calling for Trump impeachment – NPR
There’s “no going back” for Elon Musk after calling for Donald Trump to be impeached, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has told NPR.
Bannon, a rightwing populist who served as chief strategist and chief adviser during Trump’s first term, and was in prison last year for refusing to testify to Congress, told NPR’s Morning Edition that he felt tensions between Musk and Trump began when “Elon asked for an extension to stay and the president denied it” (as reported by Axios on Tuesday). As a special government employee, there was a 130-day limit on Musk’s White House role.
During the interview Bannon also claimed the feud is “a national security issue” as Musk reportedly used a lot of drugs during his rise to political prominence. He also repeated his claim that Musk is an “illegal alien”. (As NPR has factchecked, South African-born Musk has held US citizenship since 2002, according to PolitiFact. The Washington Post reported in October 2024 that Musk worked illegally in the US in the late 90s; Musk denied his work was unauthorized).
Asked if this could all blow over, Bannon said that Musk had “crossed the Rubicon” by bringing up the Epstein files, calling for Trump’s impeachment, and suggesting JD Vance should take over.
He crossed the Rubicon. It’s one thing to make comments about spending on the bill. There’s another thing about what he did. You can’t sit there and first or try to destroy the bill. You can’t come out and say kill the present most important legislative occurrence of this first term, number one. Number two, he crossed the Rubicon by this outrageous comparison to the Epstein files about saying President Trump should be impeached, replaced by JD Vance. This is so outrageous. It has crossed the line. He’s crossed the Rubicon and there’s no going back.
So far, the Trump-Musk feud is probably best described as a moving target, with plenty of opportunities for escalation or detente, writes the Associated Press.
It’s been reported that Musk wants to speak with Trump, but the president doesn’t want to do it – or at least do it on Friday. Still, others remained hopeful that it all would blow over.
“I grew up playing hockey and there wasn’t a single day that we played hockey or basketball or football or baseball, whatever we were playing, where we didn’t fight. And then we’d fight, then we’d become friends again,” Fox News host Sean Hannity said on his show on Thursday night.
Acknowledging that it “got personal very quick”, Hannity nonetheless added that the rift was “just a major policy difference”.
Back in February, Hannity interviewed the two men together in the White House, where they had gushed about each other so much that the host felt moved to say: “I feel like I’m interviewing two brothers here.”
The House speaker, Mike Johnson, has projected confidence that the Trump-Musk dispute won’t affect prospects for the tax and border bill.
“Members are not shaken at all,” the Louisiana Republican said. “We’re going to pass this legislation on our deadline.”
He added that he hopes Musk and Trump will reconcile, saying “I believe in redemption” and “it’s good for the party and the country if all that’s worked out”.
But he also had something of a warning for the tech billionaire.
I’ll tell you what, do not doubt and do not second-guess and don’t ever challenge the president of the United States, Donald Trump. He is the leader of the party. He’s the most consequential political figure of this generation and probably the modern era.
Trump administration approves coal mine expansion to boost exports to Asia
The US interior department approved a plan by Signal Peak Energy to expand coal mining, providing exports for Japan and South Korea, the agency said on Friday, as it responded to Donald Trump’s energy emergency directives.
Reuters reports that the approval authorizes the Montana-based coal company to recover 22.8m metric tons of federal coal and 34.5m tons of adjacent non-federal coal and extend the life of the Bull Mountains mine by nine years.
Interior secretary Doug Burgum, who is also a co-chair of Trump’s Energy Dominance Council, said unlocking more federal coal enables the US to bolster ties with US allies abroad.
“President Trump’s leadership in declaring a national energy emergency is allowing us to act decisively, cut bureaucratic delays and secure America’s future through energy independence and strategic exports,” he said.
Signal Peak had initially sent its plan to expand its mining operations to the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in 2020 but it has been under federal review and subjet to litigation since then.
The interior department completed the environmental impact statement for the mine expansion according to its new policy to speed such reviews to a maximum of 28 days.
Burgum this week joined energy secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin in Alaska to promote an LNG project, as well as other energy exports, destined for Asian markets that was attended by Japanese and Korean officals.
The Bull Mountains mine, located in Musselshell and Yellowstone counties, employs more than 250 workers and primarily supplies Japan and South Korea.
Environmental groups have tried to block the expansion of the mine over concerns about its water usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, has confirmed to the New York Times that the president plans to sell the red Tesla he bought in March. It was reported earlier that Trump was considering it.
Trump originally bought the car to demonstrate his support for Elon Musk amid a backlash over his role in the administration.
Trump has shown little interest in engaging with Musk today, even after the billionaire signaled he would be open to de-escalating their feud in the interest of the country.
‘But … I really like both of them’: Republicans urge Trump and Musk to make up
As the GOP braces for aftershocks from Donald Trump’s spectacular falling out with Elon Musk, lawmakers and conservative figures are urging detente, fearful of the potential consequences from a prolonged feud.
At a minimum, the explosion of animosity between the two powerful men could complicate the path forward for Republicans’ massive tax and border spending legislation that has been promoted by Trump but assailed by Musk.
“I hope it doesn’t distract us from getting the job done that we need to,” said Washington state representative Dan Newhouse. “I think that it will boil over and they’ll mend fences.”
Texas senator Ted Cruz was similarly optimistic. “I hope that both of them come back together because when the two of them are working together, we’ll get a lot more done for America than when they’re at cross-purposes,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity last night.
Utah senator Mike Lee sounded almost pained on social media as Trump and Musk volleyed insults at each other, sharing a photo composite of the two men and writing: “But … I really like both of them.”
“Who else really wants @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump to reconcile?” Lee posted, later adding: “Repost if you agree that the world is a better place with the Trump-Musk bromance fully intact.”
Joanna Walters
A Boston-based federal appeals court two days ago refused to lift a district court judge’s order that had blocked Donald Trump’s plan to eliminate the US Department of Education.
Chief US circuit judge David Barron, writing for a panel of three judges who were all appointed by Democratic presidents, said on Wednesday that a stay was not warranted given the extensive findings a trial judge made about the impact mass firings at the department would have on its ability to function, Reuters reports.
What is at stake in this case, the district court found, was whether a nearly half-century-old cabinet department would be permitted to carry out its statutorily assigned functions or prevented from doing so by a mass termination of employees aimed at implementing the effective closure of that department,” Barron said.
Lawsuits were filed after Linda McMahon in March, a week before Trump signed the executive order to dismantle the department, announced plans to carry out a mass termination of more than 1,300 employees, which would cut the department’s staff by half as part of what it said was its “final mission”.
Affected employees were placed on administrative leave on March 21 and were told they would continue receiving full pay and benefits until 9 June.
US district judge Myong Joun on 22 May concluded that the job cuts were in fact an effort by the administration to shut down the department without the necessary approval of Congress. He blocked the move, the Trump administration appealed and was rebuffed by the 1st circuit court of appeals, leading to its Friday request to the US supreme court.
Joanna Walters
The Trump administration’s request to the supreme court this morning to allow the dismantling of the Department of Education, if successful, would leave school policy in the US almost entirely in the hands of states and local boards of education.
The department was created by a US law passed by Congress in 1979 and oversees about 100,000 public sector and 34,000 private sector schools, although more than 85% of public school funding comes from state and local governments, Reuters reports.
It provides federal grants for needy schools and programs, including money to pay teachers of children with special needs, fund arts programs and replace outdated infrastructure. It also oversees the $1.6tn in student loans held by tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford to pay for college outright.
Trump’s move to dismantle the department is part of the Republican president’s campaign to downsize and reshape the federal government. Closing the department long has been a goal of many conservatives.
Attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as school districts and unions representing teachers, sued to block the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the department.
The states argued that the massive job cuts will render the agency unable to perform core functions authorized by statute, including in the civil rights arena, effectively usurping Congress’s authority, in violation of the US constitution. Trump appointed Linda McMahon as education secretary, essentially putting her in charge of dismantling her own department.
Trump asks supreme court to halt court order over education department
Joanna Walters
Donald Trump has appealed to the US supreme court to stop in its tracks a judicial order that blocked the executive branch from dismantling the US Department of Education.
The US president requested the highest court moments ago to act, in response to a federal appeals court that on Wednesday declined to lift a judge’s order blocking the Trump administration from carrying out the president’s executive order to tear down the DoE, Reuters reports.
That court order had also required the government to reinstate employees who were terminated in a mass layoff.
The Boston-based first US circuit court of appeals rejected the Trump administration’s request to put on hold an injunction issued by a lower-court judge at the urging of several Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers’ unions.
Trump issued an executive order in March to eliminate the department, to the fury of opponents.
The Department of Education’s role is primarily financial, dispensing federal funds nationwide. It also upholds civil rights protections such as Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination.
Martin Belam
Breaking up is hard to do, and even harder if you are a billionaire who decides to break up with another billionaire on the two social media platforms you own, while the world watches in real time.
Here are the key moments as the relationship between the US president, Donald Trump, and his former senior adviser Elon Musk unravelled in spectacular fashion, precipitated by a dispute over a colossal spending bill that could have major consequences for years to come.
#charges #Kilmar #Ábrego #García #people #smuggling #returned #Salvador #live #updates #Trump #administration
