In a shocking admission, the Trump administration has confirmed that it mistakenly deported a man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, even though he had legal protection from removal. He is now being held in one of the country’s harshest prisons, and U.S. officials say they may not be able to bring him back.
This incident has sparked serious concerns about how migrants are being handled, and whether proper legal steps are being ignored for the sake of quick deportations.
Deported Despite Legal Protection
Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland, had applied for asylum in the U.S. in 2019. A judge had already granted him protection, which meant he could not be deported back to El Salvador. But due to what officials call an “administrative error,” he was still deported.
He was sent to El Salvador along with a group of men accused of gang activity. His wife only realized what happened after spotting him in a video from a Salvadoran prison.
Held in El Salvador’s Harsh CECOT Prison
Garcia is now being held at the CECOT prison—El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. The U.S. government admits that it has no control over him anymore. Officials said in court that they can only “request” or “encourage” the Salvadoran government to send him back.
Reports from the prison show extremely harsh conditions. Cells built for 80 inmates often hold nearly 160. There are no mattresses, windows, or fans, and inmates stay locked in for 23.5 hours a day. They are not allowed visits or reading material and receive food through bars.
No Evidence of Gang Involvement, Say Lawyers
Although the Trump administration claims Garcia was a leader in the MS-13 gang—a group labeled as terrorists—his lawyers say there is no proof. They argue that the government never provided any evidence to support its claim.
Garcia had fled gang violence in El Salvador and built a life in the U.S. He is married to an American citizen and is the father of a disabled U.S.-citizen child.
Legal Procedures Ignored, Say Attorneys
Garcia’s lawyers say the government ignored proper legal steps just to remove him quickly. They claim that instead of going through the usual process to challenge his asylum status, officials simply deported him without warning.
They argue that the government knowingly sent him into dangerous conditions where he would be jailed and possibly tortured.
U.S. Paying Millions to House Migrants in CECOT
The Trump administration is reportedly paying the Salvadoran government $6 million to detain deported migrants at CECOT. Most of those deported were accused of being part of gangs like MS-13 or the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua, though little evidence has been shared publicly.