Kilmar Abrego Garcia was ‘tortured' in El Salvador prison, his lawyers say
The alleged abuse was detailed in court documents filed in Abrego Garcia's civil lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday, providing an account of his experiences following his deportation for the first time.
Abrego Garcia's case has become a flashpoint in the US government's controversial immigration crackdown since he was mistakenly deported to his native El Salvador in March, despite an earlier order by an immigration judge barring such a move.
According to his lawyers, Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador as a teenager to avoid gang violence, arriving in the United States around 2011. He has lived for more than a decade in Maryland, where he and his American wife are raising three children.
He was returned to the US last month and is currently locked in a legal battle with the US government, which has indicted him on charges of migrant smuggling and says it plans to deport him to a third country.
'Plaintiff Abrego Garcia reports that he was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture,' his lawyers said in the filing, referring to the Salvadoran mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre, or CECOT.
Severe beatings, threats
The filings, made in a civil suit in federal court against the US government brought by Abrego Garcia's wife in Maryland, said her husband was hit and kicked so frequently upon his arrival at the prison that the next day his body was covered in lumps and bruises.
The filings also said he and other inmates were forced to kneel for nine hours straight throughout the night, or were hit by guards, in a cruel exercise of sleep deprivation.
It said prison staff repeatedly threatened to transfer Abrego Garcia to cells with gang members who would 'tear' him apart, and claimed that he lost 31 pounds (14kg) in his first two weeks in jail as a result of the abuse.
'Administrative error'
Abrego Garcia was detained by immigration officials and deported to El Salvador on March 15. Trump and US officials have accused him of belonging to the notorious MS-13 gang, which he denies.
The deportation took place despite an order from a US immigration judge in 2019, which barred Abrego Garcia from being sent back to El Salvador because he likely faced persecution there from gangs.
Abrego Garcia's treatment gained worldwide attention, with critics of Trump's aggressive immigration policy saying it demonstrated how officials were ignoring due process in their zeal to deport migrants. The Trump administration later described the deportation as an 'administrative error'.
Last month, the US government complied with a directive from the court to return Abrego Garcia to the US, but only after having secured an indictment charging him with working with coconspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the US illegally.
He is currently being detained in Nashville, Tennessee, while his criminal case is pending, having pleaded not guilty to illegally transporting undocumented immigrants.
The US government is arguing that the new civil suit is now moot, as Abrego Garcia has been returned from El Salvador. It has said it plans to deport him to a third country after he is released from custody.
Abrego Garcia a 'criminal' for DHS
In the wake of the latest court filings, the Trump administration doubled down on its attacks on Abrego Garcia as a dangerous illegal immigrant.
In a post on the social media platform X, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the 'media's sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member has completely fallen apart'.
'Once again the media is falling all over themselves to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia,' it said.
'This illegal alien is an MS-13 gang member, alleged human trafficker, and a domestic abuser,' DHS claimed, without providing any evidence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
Elon Musk revives third party idea after ‘One Big Beautiful Bill' passes
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has weighed in publicly for the first time since the passage of President Donald Trump's signature piece of budget legislation, commonly known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. On Friday, Musk took to his social media platform X to once again float the possibility of a third party to rival the two major ones — the Democrats and the Republicans — in United States politics. 'Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?' Musk asked his followers, attaching an interactive poll. Musk has maintained that both major parties have fallen out of step with what he describes as the '80 percent in the middle' – a number he estimates represents the moderates and independents who do not align with either end of the political spectrum. His desire to form a new party, however, emerged after a public fallout with Trump over the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', a sweeping piece of legislation that passed both chambers of Congress on Thursday. Yet again on Friday, Musk revisited his objections to the bill, albeit indirectly. He shared Senator Rand Paul's critique that the bill 'explodes the deficit in the near-term', responding with a re-post and the '100' emoji, signifying his full agreement. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' has long been a policy priority for Trump, even before he returned to office for a second term on January 20. His aim was to pass a single piece of legislation that included several key pillars from his agenda, allowing him to proceed with his goals without having to seek multiple approvals from Congress. But the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' has been controversial among Democrats and even some Republicans. The bill would make permanent the 2017 tax cuts from Trump's first term, which critics argue disproportionately benefit the wealthy over middle- to low-income workers. It also raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion and is projected to add $3.3 trillion to the country's deficit, according to a nonpartisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Further funding is earmarked to bolster Trump's campaign to crack down on immigration into the US. But to pay for the tax cuts and the spending, the bill includes cuts to critical social services, including Medicaid, a government health insurance programme for low-income households, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Fiscal conservatives opposed the debt increase, while several other Republicans worried about how Medicaid restrictions would affect their constituents. But in recent weeks, Trump and other Republican leaders rallied many of the holdouts, allowing the bill to pass both chambers of Congress by narrow margins. Senator Paul of Kentucky was one of only three Republicans in the Senate to vote 'no' on the bill. In the aftermath of its final passage on Thursday, he wrote on social media: 'This is Washington's MO: short-term politicking over long-term sustainability.' Trump is slated to sign the bill into law in a White House ceremony on Friday. The debate over the bill, however, proved to be a tipping point for Trump and Musk's relationship. In late May, during his final days as a 'special government adviser', Musk appeared on the TV programme CBS Sunday Morning and said he was 'disappointed' in the legislation, citing the proposed increase to the budget deficit. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,' Musk told a CBS journalist. By May 30, his time in the Trump administration had come to an end, though the two men appeared to part on cordial terms. But after leaving his government role, Musk escalated his attacks on the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', warning it would be disastrous for the US economy. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,' Musk wrote on June 3. Musk went so far as to suggest Trump should be impeached and that he had information about the president's relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though he did not offer evidence. Those posts have since been deleted. Trump, meanwhile, accused Musk on social media of going 'CRAZY' and seeking to lash out because the bill would peel back government incentives for the production of electric vehicles (EVs). On June 5, Musk began to muse about launching his own political party. 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' he wrote. In follow-up posts, he noted that his followers appeared to agree with him, and he endorsed a commenter's suggestion for the party's potential name. ''America Party' has a nice ring to it. The party that actually represents America!' Musk said. As the world's richest man and the owner of companies like the carmaker Tesla and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX, Musk has billions of dollars at his disposal: The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $361bn as of Friday. But experts warn that third parties have historically struggled to compete in the US's largely two-party system, and that they can even weaken movements they profess to back, by draining votes away from more viable candidates. Musk's estimate about the '80 percent in the middle' might also be an overstatement. Polls vary as to how many people identify as independent or centrists. But in January, the research firm Gallup found that an average of 43 percent of American adults identified as independent, matching a record set in 2014. Gallup's statistics also found a decline in the number of American adults saying they were 'moderate', with 34 percent embracing the label in 2024. Still, on Friday, Musk shared his thoughts about how a potential third party could gain sway in the largely bifurcated US political sphere. He said he planned to take advantage of the weak majorities the major parties are able to obtain in Congress. 'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,' he wrote. 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.'
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Rwanda president unsure if DRC peace deal will hold, warns against ‘tricks'
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has cautiously welcomed a United States-brokered peace deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), while suggesting Kigali will retaliate if provoked. Speaking at a news conference in Kigali on Friday, Kagame said Rwanda remained committed to the agreement but questioned whether Kinshasa would uphold its part of the deal. 'If the side that we are working with plays tricks and takes us back to the problem, then we deal with the problem like we have been dealing with it,' Kagame said. The agreement, backed by the administration of US President Donald Trump, was signed last week and calls for Rwandan troops to withdraw from eastern DRC within 90 days. The region has seen intense fighting this year, with M23 rebels seizing major towns. The United Nations has accused Rwanda of backing the group with thousands of troops – an allegation Kigali denies. While the peace deal is seen as a turning point, analysts do not believe it will quickly end the fighting because M23 – a major belligerent in the conflict – says the agreement does not apply to it. US 'not to blame' if deal fails Rwanda insists its military presence in eastern DRC is a response to threats from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group made up of ethnic Hutu fighters linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kagame said Kinshasa must act to dismantle the FDLR if the deal is to succeed. 'We are grateful to the Trump administration for its efforts,' he said. 'If it doesn't work, they aren't the ones to blame.' There has been no official response from Kinshasa, which has consistently accused Rwanda of fuelling the conflict. Rwanda-backed M23 is the most prominent armed group in the conflict in eastern DRC, and its major advance early this year left bodies on the streets. With 7 million people displaced in DRC, the UN has called it 'one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth'. M23 has not been involved in the US-mediated efforts, although it has been part of other peace talks. On Thursday, both the Congolese government and M23 representatives agreed that they would return to Qatar for further discussions aimed at ending the conflict. Meanwhile, Washington has proposed a separate investment plan that could allow Western companies to tap into the region's rich deposits of tantalum, copper, and gold – resources that have long fuelled violence in eastern DRC. Kagame's appearance on Friday marked his first public remarks since June 6, prompting speculation during his absence about his health. Dissidents abroad, including former adviser David Himbara, claimed the president was seriously unwell. Kagame dismissed the rumours with a joke. 'Some of my personal health problems might originate from managing you people,' he said, sparking laughter. 'What is the problem? What would people want me to account for? That I am not human?' he added. The president appeared in good health throughout the briefing.
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Elon Musk revives third party idea after One Big Beautiful Bill passes
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has weighed in publicly for the first time since the passage of President Donald Trump's signature piece of budget legislation, commonly known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill'. On Friday, Musk took to his social media platform X to once again float the possibility of a third party to rival the two major ones — the Democrats and the Republicans — in United States politics. 'Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?' Musk asked his followers, attaching an interactive poll. Musk has maintained that both major parties have fallen out of step with what he describes as the '80 percent in the middle' – a number he estimates represents the moderates and independents who do not align with either end of the political spectrum. His desire to form a new party, however, emerged after a public fallout with Trump over the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', a sweeping piece of legislation that passed both chambers of Congress on Thursday. Yet again on Friday, Musk revisited his objections to the bill, albeit indirectly. He shared Senator Rand Paul's critique that the bill 'explodes the deficit in the near-term', responding with a re-post and the '100' emoji, signifying his full agreement. The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' has long been a policy priority for Trump, even before he returned to office for a second term on January 20. His aim was to pass a single piece of legislation that included several key pillars from his agenda, allowing him to proceed with his goals without having to seek multiple approvals from Congress. But the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' has been controversial among Democrats and even some Republicans. The bill would make permanent the 2017 tax cuts from Trump's first term, which critics argue disproportionately benefit the wealthy over middle- to low-income workers. It also raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion and is projected to add $3.3 trillion to the country's deficit, according to a nonpartisan analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Further funding is earmarked to bolster Trump's campaign to crack down on immigration into the US. But to pay for the tax cuts and the spending, the bill includes cuts to critical social services, including Medicaid, a government health insurance programme for low-income households, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Fiscal conservatives opposed the debt increase, while several other Republicans worried about how Medicaid restrictions would affect their constituents. But in recent weeks, Trump and other Republican leaders rallied many of the holdouts, allowing the bill to pass both chambers of Congress by narrow margins. Senator Paul of Kentucky was one of only three Republicans in the Senate to vote 'no' on the bill. In the aftermath of its final passage on Thursday, he wrote on social media: 'This is Washington's MO: short-term politicking over long-term sustainability.' Trump is slated to sign the bill into law in a White House ceremony on Friday. The debate over the bill, however, proved to be a tipping point for Trump and Musk's relationship. In late May, during his final days as a 'special government adviser', Musk appeared on the TV programme CBS Sunday Morning and said he was 'disappointed' in the legislation, citing the proposed increase to the budget deficit. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful,' Musk told a CBS journalist. By May 30, his time in the Trump administration had come to an end, though the two men appeared to part on cordial terms. But after leaving his government role, Musk escalated his attacks on the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', warning it would be disastrous for the US economy. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,' Musk wrote on June 3. Musk went so far as to suggest Trump should be impeached and that he had information about the president's relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, though he did not offer evidence. Those posts have since been deleted. Trump, meanwhile, accused Musk on social media of going 'CRAZY' and seeking to lash out because the bill would peel back government incentives for the production of electric vehicles (EVs). On June 5, Musk began to muse about launching his own political party. 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' he wrote. In follow-up posts, he noted that his followers appeared to agree with him, and he endorsed a commenter's suggestion for the party's potential name. ''America Party' has a nice ring to it. The party that actually represents America!' Musk said. As the world's richest man and the owner of companies like the carmaker Tesla and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX, Musk has billions of dollars at his disposal: The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates his net worth at $361bn as of Friday. But experts warn that third parties have historically struggled to compete in the US's largely two-party system, and that they can even weaken movements they profess to back, by draining votes away from more viable candidates. Musk's estimate about the '80 percent in the middle' might also be an overstatement. Polls vary as to how many people identify as independent or centrists. But in January, the research firm Gallup found that an average of 43 percent of American adults identified as independent, matching a record set in 2014. Gallup's statistics also found a decline in the number of American adults saying they were 'moderate', with 34 percent embracing the label in 2024. Still, on Friday, Musk shared his thoughts about how a potential third party could gain sway in the largely bifurcated US political sphere. He said he planned to take advantage of the weak majorities the major parties are able to obtain in Congress. 'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,' he wrote. 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.'
