Shumita Basu

Let's start with the big story all this week, which has been Trump's defiance of a Supreme Court order to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father of three kids living in Maryland with no criminal record, who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador's harshest prison. Yesterday, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, visited Abrego Garcia, who is his constituent.

He initially tried to visit him at the prison, but says he was denied entry. Hours later, Van Hollen was able to meet him at a nearby hotel and said he just wanted to confirm Abrego Garcia is doing OK and underscore that he deserves due process.

He initially tried to visit him at the prison, but says he was denied entry. Hours later, Van Hollen was able to meet him at a nearby hotel and said he just wanted to confirm Abrego Garcia is doing OK and underscore that he deserves due process.

He initially tried to visit him at the prison, but says he was denied entry. Hours later, Van Hollen was able to meet him at a nearby hotel and said he just wanted to confirm Abrego Garcia is doing OK and underscore that he deserves due process.

The man behind Abrego Garcia's detention, as well as the detention of hundreds of other migrants deported by the Trump administration, is El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, who's become a key ally of Trump's and has said that he'll take no action to release Abrego Garcia.

The man behind Abrego Garcia's detention, as well as the detention of hundreds of other migrants deported by the Trump administration, is El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, who's become a key ally of Trump's and has said that he'll take no action to release Abrego Garcia.

The man behind Abrego Garcia's detention, as well as the detention of hundreds of other migrants deported by the Trump administration, is El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, who's become a key ally of Trump's and has said that he'll take no action to release Abrego Garcia.

For more about the rise of Bukele and how he became one of Trump's most crucial and supportive foreign allies, I called up Vera Bergen-Gruen, a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal who profiled Bukele for Time last year. I started by asking her to give me some background on Bukele and how his relationship with Trump initially started.

For more about the rise of Bukele and how he became one of Trump's most crucial and supportive foreign allies, I called up Vera Bergen-Gruen, a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal who profiled Bukele for Time last year. I started by asking her to give me some background on Bukele and how his relationship with Trump initially started.

For more about the rise of Bukele and how he became one of Trump's most crucial and supportive foreign allies, I called up Vera Bergen-Gruen, a national security reporter at The Wall Street Journal who profiled Bukele for Time last year. I started by asking her to give me some background on Bukele and how his relationship with Trump initially started.

I'll just say this stat from your Peace Fair is it was kind of mind boggling. You write that Bukele has incarcerated one out of every 57 people in his country.

I'll just say this stat from your Peace Fair is it was kind of mind boggling. You write that Bukele has incarcerated one out of every 57 people in his country.

I'll just say this stat from your Peace Fair is it was kind of mind boggling. You write that Bukele has incarcerated one out of every 57 people in his country.

Well, what I thought was interesting also in your piece, you mentioned how some of his harshest critics, even some people within the Biden administration at the time, were kind of courting Bukele's favor. Help me understand why.

Well, what I thought was interesting also in your piece, you mentioned how some of his harshest critics, even some people within the Biden administration at the time, were kind of courting Bukele's favor. Help me understand why.

Well, what I thought was interesting also in your piece, you mentioned how some of his harshest critics, even some people within the Biden administration at the time, were kind of courting Bukele's favor. Help me understand why.

Very complicated. So what do you make of the way that Bukele has been handling this storyline now of Venezuelans being deported to El Salvador by the U.S., agreeing to incarcerate them in El Salvador? I mean, what is in it for Bukele? Why strike this deal with Trump?

Very complicated. So what do you make of the way that Bukele has been handling this storyline now of Venezuelans being deported to El Salvador by the U.S., agreeing to incarcerate them in El Salvador? I mean, what is in it for Bukele? Why strike this deal with Trump?

Very complicated. So what do you make of the way that Bukele has been handling this storyline now of Venezuelans being deported to El Salvador by the U.S., agreeing to incarcerate them in El Salvador? I mean, what is in it for Bukele? Why strike this deal with Trump?

Well, so the Trump administration has been claiming that there's nothing that they can do to bring back the man who was wrongfully deported, as they have acknowledged, mistakenly deported, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who ended up in this prison in El Salvador and is still there. The administration says now they cannot do anything to bring him back.