President Donald Trump joked on Tuesday that he saved two turkeys, Gobble and Waddle, from being deported to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador.
Trump pardoned the turkeys at the traditional Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden. The president joked that the turkeys were saved from the infamous El Salvadoran prison, where illegal immigrant criminals have been sent since he reentered office.
“Some of my more enthusiastic staffers were already drafting the paperwork to ship Gobble and Waddle straight to the terrorist confinement center in El Salvador. And even those birds don’t want to be there. You know what I mean. It was tough. I’d like to thank the president of that country. They do a rather efficient job,” Trump said.Â
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The spared turkeys are from Travis and Amanda Pittman’s farm in Wayne County, North Carolina, according to Alabama-based Fox 10 News. Because of Trump’s pardon, they will live the rest of their lives at North Carolina State University.
Illegal immigrants who have committed heinous acts, including murder, sexual assault, rape and drug trafficking reside in El Salvador as a result of Trump’s crackdown of illegal immigration. The administration deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a suspected MS-13 gang member who has been accused of human smuggling and of beating his wife, to the prison.
The Trump administration stated that Garcia had been deported due to an error, though they stood by his deportation due to his criminal record and illegal entry in the U.S. Democratic lawmakers, including Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, traveled to El Salvador in April to stand in solidarity with Garcia and protest his deportation.
Garcia returned to the U.S. and is currently being held in Philadelphia and faces federal human smuggling charges. The administration is currently trying to deport him to Liberia.
El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele told reporters during an April 14 Oval Office meeting with Trump that he wouldn’t “smuggle” Garcia back into the U.S.
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