US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday (April 1) defended the deportation of ‘innocent’ Maryland father to El Salvador prison. 

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The US government accidentally deported a man to Trump's "favourite" El Salvador prison due to an "administrative error", according to legal papers filed on Monday. 

Kilmer Abrego-Garcia had a protected status, but Vance defended his deportation, with the Trump administration saying that they can't do anything to get him back. 

Also read: US sends more prisoners to El Salvador despite court dispute

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Vance took to X, saying that the move was justified and that the man was a member of MS-13. 

"My comment is that according to the court document you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here," Vance said. 

"My further comment is that it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize," he added in his post. 

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Also read: 'If you commit crimes against America...': DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warns as she visits Trump's fav El Salvador prison

The US vice president was also criticised for the deportation, with one netizen calling him "disgusting" and a "shameless LIAR". 

“Trump’s administration (minus Vance,) ADMITTED they mistakenly deported a Maryland father, an immigrant with protected legal status, to El Salvador. Now, they claim U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to return him home. 😡 This is DISGUSTING. This is NOT America,” the netizen posted. 

“Why did the administration itself admit the deportation was an error if now the new line is to defend it (with an error itself, the guy was not convicted of a crime),” a second user commented.

Also read: ‘Could get jailed in El Salvador prisons’: Trump threatens ‘terrorists’ harming Musk, Tesla with 20-year jail

The US government admitted that "on March 15, although ICE was aware of his protection from removal to El Salvador, Abrego Garcia was removed to El Salvador because of an administrative error."

Garcia lives in Maryland with his wife and five-year-old child, who is autistic and intellectually disabled. 

Last week, Garcia, his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their legal team filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland and called for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to ensure his return to the US. 

Also read: ‘Heads shaved, stripped down...’: How horribly inmates are treated in El Salvador’s mega prison

(With inputs from agencies)