Bukele mocks Abrego Garcia's torture claims with prison highlight reel
Abrego Garcia, who was erroneously deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador and then returned after a court order, is seen in the video gardening, playing soccer, fishing and enjoying other leisurely activities while imprisoned in his home country.
The video appears at odds to Abrego Garcia's claims in legal filings that he was severely beaten, deprived of sleep and psychologically tortured while detained in the country's Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, a notorious anti-terrorism prison.
According to court documents, Abrego Garcia's physical condition deteriorated quickly upon arrival there and, within two weeks, he lost roughly 31 pounds.
But Bukele pushed back against those claims on Thursday, claiming he actually put on weight and released video evidence to refute claims of torture.
The video shows Abrego Garcia in seemingly good spirits, playing chess and soccer, working out with fellow inmates, doing gardening and relaxing while watching a widescreen television in his cell, among other leisurely activities.
"If he'd been tortured, sleep-deprived, and starved, why does he look so well in every picture?" Bukele wrote on X. "Why would he gain weight? Why are there no bruises, or even dark circles under his eyes?"
"The man wasn't tortured, nor did he lose weight. In fact, photos show he gained weight while in detention. There's plenty of footage from different days, including his meeting with Senator Van Hollen, who himself confirmed the man seemed fine."
Bukele went on to rip the mainstream media for seemingly believing the claims.
"Apparently, anything a criminal claims is accepted as truth by the mainstream media and the crumbling Western judiciary," Bukele wrote.
Under Bukele's state of emergency, the government has detained more than 1% of the Central American nation's population in its war on the country's gangs. The president has turned what was once the most dangerous country in the world -- with a homicide rate of 103 per 100,000 people in 2015 -- into one of the safest in the Western Hemisphere, with 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024. The U.S. rate was 5.5 per 100,000 people in 2023, which are the most recent records available.
Hundreds of people have died in the El Salvador prisons, according to the Associated Press, citing human rights groups, which have also documented cases of torture and deteriorated conditions.
Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland after coming to the U.S. illegally, was deported to El Salvador in March 2025. He became a prominent face of the Democrats' resistance to the Trump administration's mass deportation plans.
The Trump administration accuses them of being an MS-13 gang member, a human trafficker and a serial domestic abuser amid police reports by his wife that he used violence against her.
Abrego Garcia's lawyers claimed when he arrived at the prison he was immediately frog-marched to his cell by prison guards, who kicked him with boots and struck him with wooden batons along the way, leaving visible bumps and bruises across his body.
He and other detainees in the cell slept on metal mattresses, with minimal access to food and satiation. They were also forced to kneel for approximately nine hours, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., "with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion," per the filings.
They claim he was also psychologically tortured and received threats of violence during his time at CECOT where prison guards repeatedly told him they would transfer him to other prison cells housing violent gang members, whom they assured him would "tear" him apart.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Planned Parenthood sues Trump admin, saying it is targeted by provision in megabill
A federal judge in Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order against a provision in President Donald Trump's recently passed tax and policy megabill that would deny Planned Parenthood and its member organizations Medicaid funding for one year for non-abortion health services. Planned Parenthood, the largest reproductive health provider in the United States, and two of its member organizations had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier Monday over the provision, which the groups said was meant to target Planned Parenthood and its member organizations over abortion access. While the Hyde Amendment already prohibits the use of federal funding for abortions, the provision would prevent providers that offer abortion services and that received over $800,000 or more in federal Medicaid funding in 2023 from receiving Medicaid funding for other kinds of care for one year. MORE: Supreme Court decision bolsters efforts to defund Planned Parenthood Judge Indira Talwani, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, wrote in the temporary restraining order that "Defendants, their agents, employees, appointees, successors, and anyone acting in concert or participation with Defendants shall take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed in the customary manner and timeframes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its members; Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts; and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah." The order is set to remain in effect for 14 days, and a hearing has been set for July 21. Planned Parenthood, in a statement on social media on Monday night, wrote, "We're grateful that the court acted swiftly to block this unconstitutional law attacking Planned Parenthood providers and patients... The fight is just beginning, and we look forward to our day in court!" In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood wrote that the bill's provision was meant "to categorically prohibit health centers associated with Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid reimbursements… in order to punish them for lawful activity, namely advocating for and providing legal abortion access wholly outside the Medicaid program and without using any federal funds." Mentioning that Planned Parenthood branches serve over a million patients using Medicaid each year, the group wrote, "losing the ability to choose a Planned Parenthood Member health center as their Medicaid provider will be devastating for Medicaid patients across the country." The group also said that Planned Parenthood clinics, services, and staff would likely be eliminated if the clinics can no longer get Medicaid reimbursement. MORE: Justices divided over Medicaid 'right' to choose Planned Parenthood clinics The lawsuit names Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Mehmet Oz, along with their respective agencies, as plaintiffs. ABC News has reached out to HHS and CMS for comment. Multiple groups that oppose abortion access condemned the lawsuit, calling the bill a win for their cause and framing Planned Parenthood as desperate. "Planned Parenthood's desperation is showing as they run to the courts again to fix a crisis of their own making. Time after time they rely on unelected judges to bail them out of trouble, rather than fix deep systemic problems internally... As Planned Parenthood doubles down on lawfare and abortion politics, they prove exactly why the One Big Beautiful Bill is a historic victory for the people, stopping half a billion dollars in forced taxpayer funding of the corrupt abortion industry for the first time," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America director of legal affairs Katie Daniel said in a statement.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Veterans Affairs will cut nearly 30,000 jobs, far fewer than planned
By Christian Martinez (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will make two-thirds fewer employee cuts this fiscal year than it first targeted, reducing staff by about 30,000 people rather than 80,000, the agency said on Monday. The agency employed about around 480,000 people at the start of the Trump administration and expects to end the fiscal year in September with nearly 450,000 staff. Under President Donald Trump's program to downsize the federal government, the agency had planned to reach just under 400,000 employees. That proposal drew widespread condemnation from military veteran groups and Democrats. The agency said in a statement it was on pace to reduce its staff "through the federal hiring freeze, deferred resignations, retirements and normal attrition." It did not say why it no longer needed to make further cuts. The scale of the original planned layoffs was far greater than proposed cuts at other government agencies and potentially posed a political risk for Trump, who portrays himself as a champion of the U.S. military and its members. Between January and June, the agency shed nearly 17,000 employees and expects "nearly 12,000 additional VA employees to exit" by September 30, the VA said. "A department-wide RIF is off the table, but that doesn't mean we're done improving VA," VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a release, referring to a reduction in force, which means permanent layoffs. Just under 9 million veterans were enrolled in the VA Health Care System in March, according to the VA website.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Judge recommends that case against Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan proceed
MADISON, Wis. — A federal magistrate judge recommended Monday that the case proceed against a Wisconsin judge who was indicted on allegations that she helped a man who is in the country illegally evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. She pleaded not guilty . The case highlighted a clash between President Donald Trump's administration and local authorities over the Republican's sweeping immigration crackdown . Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition. Dugan filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges against her, saying she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune to prosecution. She argued that the federal government violated Wisconsin's sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph on Monday recommended against dropping the charges. The ultimate decision is up to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who can accept the other judge's recommendation or reject it. 'We are disappointed in the magistrate judge's non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it,' Dugan attorney Steven Biskupic, a former federal prosecutor, said in a statement. 'This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts.' Joseph wrote in her recommendation that while judges have immunity from civil lawsuits seeking monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts, that does not apply to criminal charges like those in this case. 'A judge's actions, even when done in her official capacity, does not bar criminal prosecution if the actions were done in violation of the criminal law,' Joseph wrote. Dugan also argued that the prosecution under federal law violated the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers because it overrides the state of Wisconsin's ability to administer its courts. Whether Dugan broke the law as alleged, or she was merely performing her judicial duties as Dugan contends, are questions for a jury to decide and can't be determined in a motion to dismiss, Joseph said. Joseph also noted that both sides disagree on facts related to the case, which also can't be resolved in a motion to dismiss. 'It is important to note that nothing said here speaks to the merits of the allegations against Dugan,' the judge said in the recommendation. 'Dugan is presumed innocent, and innocent she remains, unless and until the government proves the allegations against her beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at trial.' No trial date has been set. Dugan is charged with concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, and obstruction, which is a felony. Prosecutors say she escorted Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18 after learning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse seeking to arrest him for being in the country without permanent legal status. Agents arrested Ruiz outside of the courthouse after a brief foot chase. Dugan could face up to six years in prison and a $350,000 fine if convicted on both counts. Her case is similar to one brought during the first Trump administration against a Massachusetts judge , who was accused of helping a man sneak out a courthouse back door to evade a waiting immigration enforcement agent. That case was eventually dismissed.
