Judge demands daily updates on return plan for man wrongly deported | The Excerpt
On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: The case of a Maryland man accidentally deported to a notorious El Salvador prison has galvanized public attention. Gabrielle Banks, an editor on Paste BN's politics team, discusses the latest on the return plan for Kilmar Abrego Garcia based on a Friday hearing. A judge will not curb immigration enforcement in places of worship. Also, Nineteen state attorneys general ask a federal judge to block President Donald Trump's international student-visa cancellations. Plus, a judge rules that Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil can be deported. Paste BN White House Correspondent Joey Garrison explains that Elon Musk lowered DOGE's projected savings dramatically. A Trump budget proposal would fully eliminate Head Start. A man has been arrested and charged with making online death threats against President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and ICE agents.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson. Today is Saturday, April 12th, 2025. This is The Excerpt. Today, what's next for the Maryland man wrongly deported to Central America? Plus, we look into some other late-week immigration rulings. And Elon Musk lowers DOGE's projected savings.
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A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to provide immediate information on the whereabouts of a Maryland man who the Supreme Court this week said must be returned after being wrongfully deported to El Salvador. I spoke with Gabrielle Banks, an editor on Paste BN's politics team for more. Gabrielle, thank you so much for hopping on the show today.
Gabrielle Banks:
You're welcome.
Taylor Wilson:
Gabby, you attended this hearing yesterday, Friday. Paint the picture for us. Where were you and what was the scene or the mood like around the courthouse?
Gabrielle Banks:
It was raining pretty hard. There's maybe a couple dozen protesters outside with handmade signs. Some were covered with plastic. Some had ink dripping down their hands. It's a massive federal courthouse in Prince George's County. There were not many people coming or going from this building on a Friday afternoon, but I was in the overflow room. There were enough people going to this hearing, that there were probably 40 or 50 reporters in the overflow room, sitting there with laptops and watching it on the big screen. It's very unusual for there to be that many reporters, not for the Supreme Court, but for any federal district court, it is. And I spoke with a couple of protesters afterward. One told me he was a technician at a Washington D.C. public school. He said he doesn't know Abrego Garcia, but he got choked up talking about how upsetting it was to just imagine what had happened to him, that he hadn't been returned.
Taylor Wilson:
Wow. So in terms of Abrego Garcia and just his current situation at the time that we're talking, Gabby, where did things stand? And what did a judge demand yesterday after the Supreme Court earlier in the week instructed government attorneys to begin the process of bringing him back home?
Gabrielle Banks:
Well, the hearing lasted about 25 minutes. The Supreme Court the night before this hearing, Thursday night, said, "You've got to expedite this. You got to bring this man back. He was wrongly deported." So the lower court judge called this hearing for Tuesday afternoon and said, before the hearing, "Let us know where he is and let's get this going." There were instructions, and the government maybe an hour before the hearing said, "We're not going to have this for you, and we can't get it for you." It's too quick. It's impracticable, was the word that they used. So at the hearing, the judge said, "It's very simple what I'm asking here." The instructions are, where is this guy? And in whose custody is he? And what steps are you taking to bring him back? And the government said, "We don't have that information." The lawyer for the government said, "I don't have that information."
The judge repeated many times, "It's a simple question. I need someone with knowledge about this to tell me what's happening." And this is a quote, she said, "It's quite basic. I'm not asking for state secrets. I'm asking where one man who was strongly and illegally deported from this country is." When they repeated that they couldn't answer that question, and the lawyer who was there didn't know, she said, "I need daily updates." Because his answer was, "I'll try to get it for you by the end of Tuesday." And the judge said, "This court doesn't close for the weekend under these circumstances. It's open all weekend. It's open in the evening. I'm going to check in with you daily until we find out where he is, whose custody he's in, and when he is coming back." So the hearing is Wednesday, but every day until Wednesday, she's hoping that she can expedite it and get the answer sooner.
Taylor Wilson:
Okay. So considering some of that strong language, really demanding language from the judge, what are we hearing from the Trump administration afterwards and how are Abrego Garcia's lawyers or family responding that all this?
Gabrielle Banks:
The lawyer just repeatedly said he didn't have the answers in the courtroom. He did accept the statement by Abrego Garcia's family that he was at that prison in El Salvador, but said that nobody in the administration had given him this information. He said there were three federal agencies involved. He needed time to respond to the request. What was interesting is, outside the courtroom, the lawyer for the family, he stood with Abrego Garcia's wife and said, "It's ridiculous. It's not that hard to figure this out." Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security, went to El Salvador, went to this prison. So the US was able to bring her back. Why can't they bring this guy back?
Taylor Wilson:
Curiously, the White House is prepared to host Salvador and President Nayib Bukele on Monday. I'd imagine, Gabby, this and the general use of El Salvador's CECOT prison may come up during this meeting. Is that a fair expectation? Just put this meeting in context for us if you would.
Gabrielle Banks:
Bukele is a Trump supporter and the feeling is very mutual. Bukele will be thanked for solving this issue for Trump and taking people many from Venezuela into this notorious prison. It's unclear whether they'll talk about Abrego Garcia's case.
Taylor Wilson:
This case we've been talking a lot about here on the show, why has this particular case grabbed so much of the public's attention, Gabby?
Gabrielle Banks:
I think this could happen to anyone. It could certainly happen to any immigrant during this era where immigrants, even people with green cards, feel like it would be scary to leave the country and not be able to come back. The idea of being whisked off, in this case stuck in a notorious prison, without having seen a judge or having a hearing is frightening. And this man, the courts agree, both the lower court and the Supreme Court agreed that it was a mistake to send him there. It was a mistake to deport him. And the idea of removal, which is a word that immigration judges use, the judge says, "I'm not even going to use the word that he was removed from the country because that is a legal word. He was not legally removed." So I think what's upsetting to people is, how hard is it to bring him home if this was a mistake?
Taylor Wilson:
Lots still to come on this crucial story. Gabrielle Banks is an editor on Paste BN's politics team. Thanks, Gabby.
Gabrielle Banks:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
A federal judge yesterday refused to limit the Trump administration's immigration enforcement activities in places of worship. The move rules against a group of 27 religious organizations that had sued the administration over its decision to drop a previous policy against enforcement in sensitive locations. A judge appointed by President Trump during his first term found that the organizations likely did not have standing to bring the case because their claims that they faced harm were speculative. The group sued the Department of Homeland Security and other immigration enforcement agencies in February, arguing that the administration's policy change violated their right to religious freedom under federal law and the First Amendment.
Meanwhile, 19 democratic state attorneys general are asking a federal judge to stop the Trump administration from canceling hundreds of international student visas, a move that sent shockwaves through the collegiate community. Though there's been no comprehensive accounting of how many students have seen their visas revoked, in some cases weeks before graduation, Trump officials say they have been in part targeting students they accuse of harboring ill will toward the United States.
And in a high-profile case, a US immigration judge ruled yesterday that Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil can be deported, allowing Trump's administration to proceed with its effort to remove the Columbia University student from the country.
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Elon Musk this week seemed to give dramatically lower estimated savings for the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE than he had previously touted. I spoke with Paste BN White House correspondent Joey Garrison to learn more. Hi, Joey. Always a pleasure.
Joey Garrison:
Hey, thanks for having me on.
Taylor Wilson:
So Joey, what's this new savings projection from Elon Musk? And I guess how does it differ from previous numbers we've heard him toss out there?
Joey Garrison:
So on Thursday, President Trump had a cabinet meeting, which he opened up to reporters. As he has in other previous cabinet meetings, Musk had a seat at the table and Trump went around the room. Each cabinet secretary gave updates. We got to Elon Musk, and he announced that he anticipates that DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency that he oversees, will produce savings of $150 billion in the next fiscal year, which starts at the beginning of October of this coming year. And that is a much lower cost than he has talked about when he talks about DOGE savings. He previously talked about cuts of, initially it was $2 trillion, he touted.
On Thursday he talked about 150 billion, and it's pretty clear that that's what he said. I mean, it was a very specific comment where it wasn't, "Hey, we've so far saved $150 billion." What he said was, "In fiscal year '26, we anticipate that amount of money, $150 billion." So it raises questions in terms of what the long-term scope of DOGE is going to actually be. These comments were made at a time where Musk's status as a special government employee comes to an end in May.
Taylor Wilson:
Has anything tangible, I guess, Joey, happened in recent weeks for him to alter this outlook, alter this number so significantly?
Joey Garrison:
Well, not specifically other than the longevity of Musk in the White House. I mean, remember, Musk just had a setback. He involved himself heavily in that Wisconsin Supreme Court race and pumped $20 million into there, ended up being a 10-point loss for the Trump-backed candidate there. It was kind of a embarrassing political setback of sorts for Musk. He had said that the fate of Western civilization was at stake with that election, and he lost that. Also, Elon Musk's poll numbers are pretty low, have been for a while. He polls more unpopular than the president. So you got to wonder whether there's a political toll there.
Musk, in terms of the operation of DOGE though, has continued to tout what he calls waste and fraud found throughout the federal government. This past week they started touting what they said were unemployment benefits that went out that were fraudulent. They cited $400 billion in that. But the question I have, but I can't ask this directly to Elon Musk, I did ask through the White House was, "Hey, if you go to DOGE's website, they tout $150 billion in savings to date. So was Elon Musk actually trying to just say that figure, but misspoke?" I asked the White House to clarify. They touted a massive progress from this 150 billion so far and reiterated that his goal has always been $1 trillion. Of course, a goal and what you're actually cutting are two different things.
Taylor Wilson:
How is Trump viewing Musk and DOGE efforts at this point? Are there any signs of that alliance splitting, I guess, or not so much? Are they as close as they've been?
Joey Garrison:
Yeah. I mean, he still publicly praises Elon Musk. And we saw two weeks ago, remember, there was the Tesla cars that Trump showcased on the south lawn of the White House. But there has been some fracturing within the administration with Elon Musk at the center of it. Elon Musk has publicly criticized some of the tariff policies that Trump has pushed and got into a kind of back and forth with Peter Navarro, who's the top White House trade advisor. On X, Elon Musk called Navarro a total moron. On one sense, that shows you the security that Musk feels. Obviously he's the biggest donor to Trump, and so he feels he can say what he wants, but also you've got to wonder within the White House itself how long they want somebody there who's not necessarily on message, and he was creating news in that sort of way.
During the cabinet meeting, as Trump was talking about Elon Musk and praising him, he talked about Musk at one point in past tense. He said, "This guy did a fantastic job." I thought that was a very interesting remark, almost looking back at Elon Musk's time here in the White House. The special government employee status is a designation for people who work in administration or the White House for 130 days or less. So that clock ends at the end of May.
Now, obviously, Trump, if he wanted to, he could keep him on board for as long as he wants. He could just totally ignore that and just keep going, but it could be a convenient excuse to kind of move on at that point. DOGE, of course, itself is operating through the mid 2026. The plan is for them to cease after a year and a half of operations, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. But Musk could roll off before then. Being that the White House has taken a toll, he has acknowledged on his business interests in terms of sales with Tesla, that sort of thing. So I think in the coming weeks we're going to start getting a lot of this answered. Trump said he would like to have the DOGE folks stay on as long as they can, but the big question whether that'll include Elon Musk.
Taylor Wilson:
Joey Garrison covers the White House for Paste BN. Great insight as always, Joey. Thanks so much.
Joey Garrison:
Hey, thanks for having me on.
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Taylor Wilson:
The Trump administration is considering a budget proposal that would cut funding for Head Start, a program created during Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty that offers child care and preschool education to low-income families. That's according to an official familiar with the plan and exclusive Paste BN reporting. The official who was not authorized to discuss the plan publicly said the White House's fiscal year 2026 funding blueprint does not allocate any money toward Head Start and listed among many programs to be eliminated. The White House declined to address allegations that Head Start was endangered. The National Head Start Association warned yesterday that a proposal to eliminate funding would be catastrophic. The group's executive director said more than a million parents who rely on the program would not be able to go to work. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.
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A Butler, Pennsylvania man has been arrested and charged with making online death threats against President Trump, Elon Musk, and immigration and customs enforcement agents. The Justice Department yesterday announced that 32-year-old Shawn Monper made the statements earlier this year in YouTube videos under the name Mr. Satan. According to a statement from acting US Attorney Troy Rivetti, Monper obtained a firearms permit shortly after Trump's inauguration and made comments on YouTube in February that he had bought several guns and been stocking up on ammo since Trump got in office. Over two weeks in March, Monper allegedly said he was going to do a mass shooting and that he'd been buying one gun a month since the election, in addition to ammunition and body armor. Butler, Pennsylvania was also the site last year of an attempted assassination on Trump at an outdoor rally.
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And happy Passover, the Jewish holiday begins at sunset.
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Scientists recently had the opportunity to, for the first time, explore an area of water that had long been hidden beneath an ice sheet. What they soon discovered was that it was teeming with life.
Jyotika Virmani:
Sunlight doesn't get down there. So where is this life coming from? Where is it getting its nutrients?
Taylor Wilson:
Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, joins my colleague Dana Taylor to share this remarkable discovery. You can catch the episode right here beginning at 5:00 AM Eastern Time tomorrow. And if you like YouTube for podcasts, you're going to want to watch this episode since we've got video of the creatures at the top. There's a link in today's show notes.
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Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back Monday with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.