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Abrego Garcia says he was tortured in a Salvadorian prison

William Jackson (Producer), Craig Nigrelli (Anchor/Reporter)
The Trump administration is facing renewed scrutiny after returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., months after his wrongful deportation to El Salvador in March. A new court filing alleges he was tortured in one of the country’s most notorious prisons before being brought back to face separate criminal charges.
Image credit: Diego Fishburn vía AP
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Summary

Wrongful deportation

The Trump administration returned Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S. months after wrongly deporting him to El Salvador. His lawyers say he was tortured in one of the country’s harshest prisons.

CECOT conditions

Court filings describe beatings, sleep deprivation, and overcrowded cells with no windows or mattresses. Officials acknowledged his tattoos weren’t gang-related and warned of gang-related violence.

Legal uncertainty

Abrego Garcia faces federal smuggling charges and remains in custody. Judges in Maryland and Tennessee will soon decide his deportation and detention status.

Full story

The Trump administration faces renewed scrutiny after returning Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the U.S., months after his controversial deportation to El Salvador in March. A new court filing alleges he was tortured inside one of the country’s most notorious prisons before being brought back to face separate criminal charges.

Allegations of abuse in CECOT prison

According to court documents filed Wednesday, July 2, in federal court in Maryland, Abrego Garcia endured beatings, sleep deprivation and psychological abuse while held at the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. His lawyers said guards forced him and 20 other deportees to kneel overnight, striking those who collapsed. He was allegedly denied bathroom access, made to sleep on metal bunks without mattresses and kept under constant lighting.

The filings claim Abrego Garcia lost 31 pounds in two weeks and described the prison as overcrowded, windowless and designed to isolate detainees. His legal team also said Salvadoran officials acknowledged he was not affiliated with gangs and stated that his tattoos were not gang-related.

At one point, prison staff reportedly warned him that transferring him to a gang-populated cell would be dangerous. Later, officials moved him and four others to a separate area where they were photographed with mattresses and food, which his lawyers allege was staged for appearances.

After weeks of saying his return was impossible, the Trump administration brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. in June. He remains in federal custody in Nashville and faces human smuggling charges related to alleged MS-13 activity.

Abrego Garcia has entered a not guilty plea, and his lawyers argue that the U.S. brought charges against him to justify his deportation retroactively. Court filings assert that federal prosecutors and Trump himself misinterpreted his tattoos as gang symbols.

What comes next

Judges in Maryland and Tennessee will hold hearings in July that could decide whether Abrego Garcia can stay in the U.S. or face deportation to a third country. 

His attorneys have asked a Maryland judge to block removal, arguing ICE may attempt to expel him before trial proceedings conclude. A judge in Tennessee previously ordered his release, but federal prosecutors objected, citing concerns over possible deportation.

Jonah Applegarth (Production Specialist), Devan Markham (Morning Digital Producer), and Kaleb Gillespie (Video Editor) contributed to this report.
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Why this story matters

The handling of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation, alleged abuse in Salvadoran custody and subsequent criminal proceedings in the U.S. raises questions about U.S. immigration practices, human rights protections and the legal standards governing deportations.

Immigration and deportation policies

The case highlights concerns about US deportation practices and the processes used to justify and execute the removal of individuals, including the retroactive application of criminal charges.

Alleged human rights abuses

Allegations of torture and mistreatment in El Salvador's CECOT prison bring attention to the risks faced by deportees and the responsibilities of the US when returning individuals to potentially dangerous conditions.

Legal due process

Ongoing court hearings and disputes over the validity and timing of criminal charges underscore the importance of legal protections and due process for individuals navigating deportation and criminal proceedings in the US.

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Community reaction

Immigration advocates and legal representatives, particularly from the communities in Maryland and Tennessee, have voiced concern and outrage over the conditions Garcia described and the broader implications for immigrant rights and due process. Local supporters rallied for his return and highlighted the emotional impact on his family, underscoring fears within immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.

Context corner

El Salvador’s CECOT prison was built as a maximum-security facility to hold alleged gang members, following a national crackdown on organized crime. Human rights organizations have raised concerns over alleged abuses. U.S. deportations to El Salvador often place deportees at risk for violence, especially if they have past ties or histories marked by local gangs.

Debunking

While Garcia and his attorneys deny any gang affiliation, the Department of Homeland Security has publicly asserted he is linked to the MS-13 gang. A federal judge reportedly found the evidence for such claims by prosecutors to be vague, and officials in El Salvador reportedly acknowledged his tattoos were not gang-related, per court filings from his legal team.

Sources

  1. The New York Times
  2. The Guardian

Bias comparison

  • Media outlets on the left frame Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s story primarily as a grave human rights crisis, using unequivocal terms like “tortured” and “beaten” to underscore the severity of his alleged mistreatment in El Salvador’s CECOT prison, while spotlighting legal challenges against the Trump administration’s “wrongful deportation” as an abuse of power.
  • Not enough coverage from media outlets in the center to provide a bias comparison.
  • Media outlets on the right de-emphasize the human rights claims, instead emphasizing the “administrative error” rationale, portraying Abrego Garcia chiefly through his criminal charges and highlighting official defenses of “American justice,” often employing charged phrases like “MS-13 gang member” to question credibility.

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Media landscape

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118 total sources

Key points from the Left

  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia reported severe mistreatment in El Salvador's CECOT prison, including severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition and psychological torture, according to his lawyers' amended complaint.
  • He lost 31 pounds during his first two weeks at CECOT, where he was confined with no mattresses and minimal sanitation access, his attorneys allege.
  • His attorneys filed for an amended complaint in Maryland, seeking to block further deportation as Abrego Garcia lost 31 pounds and had visible injuries during his detention.
  • Abrego Garcia maintains he is not affiliated with gangs and claims his deportation and treatment in prison were unlawful, as stated in the amended lawsuit.

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Key points from the Center

No summary available because of a lack of coverage.

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Key points from the Right

  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia claimed he faced severe beatings and psychological torture in CECOT prison after his deportation from the U.S. on March 15, resulting in visible bruises and sleep deprivation.
  • Abrego Garcia reported that he lost more than 30 pounds within two weeks of incarceration, describing the conditions in CECOT as overcrowded with minimal sanitation access.
  • His wife filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for his deportation, which they described as an administrative error.
  • The Trump administration has requested to dismiss the lawsuit, as Abrego Garcia has returned to the U.S. for smuggling charges, although deportation concerns remain.

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Timeline

Sources

  1. The New York Times
  2. The Guardian

Timeline