White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 1, 2025White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump is exploring legal pathways to “deport” American citizens to El Salvador, where the administration has already arranged to house deported immigrants in a prison known for its human rights abuses. (Watch the video, above.)Leavitt suggested the effort would be limited to people who have committed major crimes, but Trump has also mentioned the possibility of sending people who commit lesser offences abroad.Any such move on the part of the Trump administration is certain to be challenged in court. It is also not clear what legal authority could be used to justify expelling US citizens from their homeland.“These would be heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation’s laws repeatedly. These are violent, repeat offenders on American streets,” Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing.“The president has said if it’s legal, right, if there is a legal pathway to do that. He’s not sure, [and] we are not sure if there is,” Leav