WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Welcome to the "News Hour."

A remarkable scene inside the Oval Office# today, President Trump.. his administration meeting with# the president of El Salvador,## both governments rejecting the president's# request for responsibility for the fate of## a Maryland man the administration# admits was wrongly deported.

The Supreme Court decided last week the U.S.# government must facilitate the return of Kilmar## Abrego Garcia.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said# Garcia's return is at El Salvador's discretion.

PAM BONDI, U.S. Attorney General: He was# illegally in our country.

He had been## illegally in our country.

Right now, it was a# paperwork -- it was additional paperwork that## needed to be done.

That's up to El Salvador if# they want to return him.

That's not up to us.

The Supreme Court rule, President, that# if El Salvador wants to return him,## this is international matters, foreign# affairs.

If they wanted to return him,## we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But President Bukele# also claimed his hands were tied.

NAYIB BUKELE, President of El Salvador:# How can I return him to the United## States?

It's like I smuggle him into the# United States, or whatever it..

I'm not going to do it.

It's like, I mean, the# question is preposterous.

How can I smuggle a## terrorist into the United States?

I don't have# the power to return him to the United States.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For more, I am joined# by our White House correspondent,## Laura Barron-Lopez, who has# been covering the latest.

Hi.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Hi.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Help us understand# th.. between these two presidents we saw# sitting next to each other today.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, first, some# background on President Bukele.

He## has described himself as -- quote# -- "the world's coolest dictator."

And President Bukele essentially believes that# when someone is president, they become the law.## He's not known in his country for respecting# the rights of people inside the criminal justice## system.

And he has been politically rewarded back# home for creating these mega-prisons that now the## United States is sending migrants to, because# his voters believe that they have reduced crime.

And so it is believed that President Bukele,# unlike other Latin American presidents,## has demonstrated essentially that he's# willing to imprison a number of people## that President Trump sends to him,# including potentially U.S. citizens,## which President Trump was asked# about the possibility of today.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United# States: If they're criminals and if## they hit people with baseball bats over# their head that happen to be 9.. and if they rape 87-year-old women# in Coney Island, Brooklyn, yes, yes,## that includes them.

What, do you think# there's special category of person?

They're as bad as anybody that comes in.# We have bad ones too.

And I'm all for it.# ' LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: President Trump,## as they were entering the Oval Office,# had said to El Salvadoran Pres.. Bukele that -- quote -- "homegrowns are# next," referring to American citizens.

And he was asking Bukele to build# five more mega-prisons.

Also,## just yesterday, we should note that 10# more migrants who the administration## alleges are members of MS-13 and Tren# de Aragua were deported to El Salvador.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This comes also# as we saw another late-night filing## from the Trump administration arguing# that they have no responsibility to## bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back# from that El Salvador prison.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That's right.

Yesterday, ... said in a court#filing that Garcia is -- quote -- "al... secure" in the CECOT mega-prison.# But the federal judge, Paula Xinis,## had ordered daily updates about what they# were doing to bring back Abrego Garcia.

And the administration said in that filing# -- quote -- "The federal courts have no## authority to direct the executive# branch to conduct foreign relations## in a particular way or engage with a# foreign sovereign in a given manner."

Now, also today, Stephen Miller, a top adviser# to President Trump, falsely claimed that the## Supreme Court said that the lower district's# ruling was unlawful.

Also, he claimed that## the Supreme Court unanimously sided with the# White House in this issue.

And that's not true.

The Supreme Court specifically said# that the administration must facilitate## Garcia's -- quote -- "release from custody" in El# Salvador and that the Trump administration needed## to be prepared to share details about what# they were doing to facilitate that release.

Now, SCOTUS has also ruled that due process is# necessary for anyone that the administration is## deporting in the manner that they had deported# Abrego Garcia.

And Trump officials repeatedly## claimed today that Garcia himself is a# member of MS-13, but the appeals court## has said that the administration has provided no# evidence that he is a member of the MS-13 gang.

So, when you break it down, William, a number of# things that were said today by Trump officials,## including A.G. Pam Bondi, including# Secretary of State Marco Rubio,## is the opposite of what the administration# is saying in court.

They have repeatedly## admitted in court that they# made an administrative error.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So where does# it leave it with the judge who## said to the administration, you# have got to make this happen?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: I spoke to Ira# Kurzban.

He's a longtime immigration## lawyer.

And he said that ultimately the# federal judge could ask to see that $6## million contract to figure out if the# administration is not telling the truth.

And he also said, though, that the continued# defiance of the court's orders in the Abrego## Garcia case, as well as efforts# to target other legal immigrants,## ultimately is all about self-deportation.

IRA KURZBAN, Immigration Attorney: This is# just all a political construct by Trump to## scare the American people.

And this is all in# many respects theater.

It's all designed -- and## even his statement, I'm going to take Americans# and send them there, it's all designed to get## people so afraid that they leave the United# States.

That's what this is really all about.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Ultimately,# Abrego Garcia case could have big## implications for the other Venezuelans and# migrants that were deported to El Salvador.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In another front on# the Trump anti-immigration campaign,## there was this hearing about the Tufts# University student Rumeysa Ozturk who## was detained for her alleged support# of Hamas.

What is the latest on that?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So what we found out was# that The Washington Post exclusively reported## that the State Department has no evidence that# the Tufts University student Ozturk engaged in## antisemitic activities, nor did she make public# statements supporting terrorist organizations.

And in a hearing today, a federal judge said that## he may ultimately rule that she needs# to be released from Louisiana detention## and he raised the possibility that this# could lead to a constitutional crisis.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Laura Barron-Lopez,# as always, thank you so much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.