Martina Navratilova calls out Donald Trump’s conflicting statements amid Kilmar Garcia deportation controversy
Martina Navratilova pointed out glaring contradiction in President Donald Trump’s narrative surrounding the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Navratilova questioned how Trump can simultaneously preach distrust in the federal government while demanding that Americans unquestioningly accept his administration’s unproven claims that Garcia is a dangerous gang member.
The controversy centers on Garcia, a Salvadoran national who fled gang violence in 2011 and had been living legally in the U.S. since 2019 under a "withholding of removal" status along with his wife and children. That designation, granted by an immigration judge, allowed him to remain in the country despite not having full asylum status.
But on March 15, 2025, Garcia was deported to El Salvador in what the Trump administration later called an "administrative error." Once in El Salvador, Garcia was thrown into the notorious CECOT prison—despite having no criminal record in either country.
The move came despite a 2019 court order shielding him from deportation—an order the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld in a 9-0 ruling on April 14, 2025, declaring the deportation illegal and ordering Garcia's return.
Still, the Trump administration doubled down. Rather than facilitating Garcia’s return as directed, officials labeled him an MS-13 gang member and a terrorist—without offering concrete proof. Attorney General Pam Bondi insisted that the administration was prepared to assist in Garcia’s return only if El Salvador chose to release him.
President Nayib Bukele, during a joint White House appearance with Trump, outright rejected that possibility, claiming Garcia’s release would amount to “smuggling a terrorist” back into the United States. Yet Garcia’s legal team argues he has no criminal record in either country and no known ties to gangs—a claim reinforced by the Supreme Court’s decision.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders weighed in too, underscoring the lack of evidence and calling for Garcia’s immediate return, stressing that the man is a father of three with legal status. English broadcaster Piers Morgan shared Sanders’ statement and posed the core question:
"Was Garcia a member of MS-13? That’s the key question. If he was, then his deportation is correct, unless Mr Sanders thinks illegal immigrant members of violent gangs should remain in US. But if Garcia wasn’t in MS-13, as he’s always insisted, he should be returned to the US."
In a reply to Morgan, Trump critic Martina Navratilova wrote:
"On the one hand trump says don’t trust the government, all the while saying trust us—he is a gang member."
Martina Navratilova condemned Donald Trump’s proposal to send US criminals to El Salvador’s notorious prisons
Martina Navratilova sharply criticized President Donald Trump after he proposed sending violent American citizens to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prisons. During a recent White House meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Trump praised Bukele’s crackdown on gangs and suggested expanding that model to include convicted U.S. citizens.
Reacting to the footage of the meeting, the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion slammed the idea as authoritarian cruelty, calling Trump a "psychopath" for even considering it.
"A racist fascist salivating at the prospect of imprisoning people without any due process- only a psychopath can do that," Martina Navratilova wrote.
In other news, Martina Navratilova denounced Donald Trump’s plan to relocate residents of war-torn Gaza.