Kilmar Abrego Garcia tortured in El Salvador prison after being deported by Trump admin? Shocking claims surface | World News

Abrego, a native of El Salvador, shared the details in a legal filing on Wednesday. It was the first time he had shared what had happened to him inside the country’s anti-terrorism prison, CECOT, as per a Politico report. 

The Trump administration did not follow a court order to return Abrego to the US. After several months, federal prosecutors charged him with human smuggling in Tennessee. He was then released from Salvadoran custody and sent back to the US to face those charges.

CECOT was known for gang violence and abuse. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele had said prisoners would not be released from there. There were few reports from inside the prison.

Also Read: Returned deportee Abrego due in US court over bail conditions

Abrego said he had suffered physical and mental abuse

Abrego said he had suffered physical and mental abuse. His lawyers shared his story in a 40-page court filing. Bukele posted a photo showing Abrego drinking “margaritas” with Senator Chris Van Hollen after the senator met with him in April. Van Hollen later said the photo was staged.

The Trump administration told a judge in May that Abrego was “in good health” and had “gained weight.” Abrego said that was not true. He said he had lost 31 pounds in two weeks and had seen violence inside the prison.

When asked about the case, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the media was supporting a criminal.

“The media’s sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member had completely fallen apart, yet they continued to peddle his sob story,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.

Abrego came to the US around 2011

Abrego came to the US around 2011 and lived in Maryland for more than 10 years. In 2019, an immigration judge blocked his deportation, warning he could face gang violence. But the Trump administration deported him anyway. A Justice Department lawyer later admitted it was a mistake. The Supreme Court called the deportation “illegal.”

Also Read: Abrego Garcia severely mistreated in El Salvador prison, his lawyers say

In the court filing, Abrego said he was the first person off a plane that landed in El Salvador on March 15. Over 200 men were deported that day. He said bright lights and cameras were pointed at him, and officials pushed him onto a bus while he was shackled. Salvadoran guards hit him in the head, his lawyers wrote. A US officer helped confirm names of the deportees before the bus left.

At the prison, a guard said, “Welcome to CECOT. Whoever entered here didn’t leave.”

Abrego was ordered to strip, put on prison clothes, and was hit to make him change faster. He was kicked in the legs and hit on the head and arms. His head was shaved, and he was forced to march to his cell while being struck with wooden batons.

“By the following day, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia had visible bruises and lumps all over his body,” the lawyers wrote.

He was placed in a cell with 20 other people. They were forced to kneel all night. Guards hit anyone who fell from exhaustion. He was not allowed to use the bathroom and soiled himself. The cell had no windows, no mattresses, and the lights stayed on 24 hours a day. There was little access to soap or water.

Abrego also said guards told him he would be moved in with gang members. He saw fights in those cells. Guards did not stop the violence. He was held for over a month with no contact with a lawyer or his family. His first contact with the outside came when Senator Van Hollen visited on April 17.

Trump has said that Abrego is part of the MS-13 gang. He also claimed on TV that Abrego has MS-13 tattoos on his knuckles.

Abrego says prison officers in El Salvador checked his tattoos and told him they were not gang-related. “Your tattoos are fine,” they told him, according to the court filing.

Government not shown proof that Abrego was MS-13 gang

The judge in the case, Paula Xinis, also said the US government has not shown proof that Abrego was in a gang.

The court filing also says ICE officers lied to Abrego after arresting him in Maryland. They told him he would get a hearing before being deported, but he did not. His lawyers say this was done to stop him from defending his rights.

Abrego is now being held in Tennessee. A judge ordered his release, but Abrego asked to stay in custody for now. He is afraid he might be deported again — this time to a different country.