JD Vance

the extraordinarily emotive condemnations of people who don't care about the problem that i'm trying to solve and that the president is trying to solve that's not you it's why i take i actually take your concerns seriously you'd be i listen to most of your podcasts i read most of your columns

So when I see people who for legitimately four years told me that I was a xenophobe for thinking that what Joe Biden was doing at the border was a serious problem, I am less willing – there's a witness element to this, and I'm less willing to believe the witness of people who are now saying that this MS-13 gang member – and we'll talk about that case in a second –

So when I see people who for legitimately four years told me that I was a xenophobe for thinking that what Joe Biden was doing at the border was a serious problem, I am less willing – there's a witness element to this, and I'm less willing to believe the witness of people who are now saying that this MS-13 gang member – and we'll talk about that case in a second –

This guy, this guy is somehow a very sympathetic person and you violated his civil rights, et cetera, et cetera. OK, so that's number one. Number two, I still have an obligation to think about these cases. And I'll tell you, you know, a lot of times I'll read about these cases and I'll reach out to the people who are enforcing immigration law and I'll try to find out what exactly is going on.

This guy, this guy is somehow a very sympathetic person and you violated his civil rights, et cetera, et cetera. OK, so that's number one. Number two, I still have an obligation to think about these cases. And I'll tell you, you know, a lot of times I'll read about these cases and I'll reach out to the people who are enforcing immigration law and I'll try to find out what exactly is going on.

I haven't asked every question about every case, but the ones where I have asked questions and I try to get to the bottom of what's going on, I feel quite comfortable what's happened. And the one that I spent the most time understanding is the one of the Maryland father. And what I found so bizarre about that case is that the American media

I haven't asked every question about every case, but the ones where I have asked questions and I try to get to the bottom of what's going on, I feel quite comfortable what's happened. And the one that I spent the most time understanding is the one of the Maryland father. And what I found so bizarre about that case is that the American media

took one line, and I forget what line it was, but it acknowledged some error had happened in a Department of Justice filing, without actually asking the two most important questions, what is the nature of the error? And much more importantly than that, what is the remedy for an error?

took one line, and I forget what line it was, but it acknowledged some error had happened in a Department of Justice filing, without actually asking the two most important questions, what is the nature of the error? And much more importantly than that, what is the remedy for an error?

Both as a matter of law, most importantly as the vice president, but also, again, as a matter of Christian principles. I think this guy was not just a gang member, but a reasonably high-level gang member in MS-13. I think he had engaged in some pretty ugly conduct. Legally, he had had multiple hearings before an immigration judge. He had a valid deportation order.

Both as a matter of law, most importantly as the vice president, but also, again, as a matter of Christian principles. I think this guy was not just a gang member, but a reasonably high-level gang member in MS-13. I think he had engaged in some pretty ugly conduct. Legally, he had had multiple hearings before an immigration judge. He had a valid deportation order.

What he also had was a sort of exception, what's called a withholding order that basically said, yes, you can deport this guy. No one doubts that we could have deported this guy. But you can't deport this guy to El Salvador because of particular conditions that obtained in, I believe, 2019 when his case was adjudicated.

What he also had was a sort of exception, what's called a withholding order that basically said, yes, you can deport this guy. No one doubts that we could have deported this guy. But you can't deport this guy to El Salvador because of particular conditions that obtained in, I believe, 2019 when his case was adjudicated.

So you fast forward to 2025, we deport this guy, the courts hold that we've made a mistake, and then eventually it gets to the Supreme Court. And I believe, and we're getting in the weeds a little bit of the legal technicalities, but I believe the court term is you must facilitate his return.

So you fast forward to 2025, we deport this guy, the courts hold that we've made a mistake, and then eventually it gets to the Supreme Court. And I believe, and we're getting in the weeds a little bit of the legal technicalities, but I believe the court term is you must facilitate his return.

And I sat in lunch with Bukele, the leader of El Salvador, with the president of the United States and with others, and talked about this case. And Bukele basically said, I don't want to send this guy back. I think he's a bad guy. He's my citizen. He's in a prison in El Salvador, and I think that's where he belongs. And our attitude was, okay, what are we really going to do?

And I sat in lunch with Bukele, the leader of El Salvador, with the president of the United States and with others, and talked about this case. And Bukele basically said, I don't want to send this guy back. I think he's a bad guy. He's my citizen. He's in a prison in El Salvador, and I think that's where he belongs. And our attitude was, okay, what are we really going to do?

Are we going to exert extraordinary diplomatic pressure to bring a guy back to the United States who is a citizen of a foreign country who we had a valid deportation order with?

Are we going to exert extraordinary diplomatic pressure to bring a guy back to the United States who is a citizen of a foreign country who we had a valid deportation order with?

I understand there may be disagreements about the judgments that we made here, but there's just something that it's hard to take serious when so many of the people who are saying we made a terrible error here are the same people who made no... protests about how this guy got into the country in the first place or what Joe Biden did for four years to the American southern border in that meeting.