Latest news with #Cecot
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Abrego Garcia claims he was beaten and tortured in El Salvador prison
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was severely beaten, deprived of sleep and subjected to psychological torture at an El Salvador mega-prison after he was wrongly deported by the Trump administration, his lawyers said in a court filing. Mr Abrego Garcia spent more than three weeks at the notorious terrorism confinement centre known as Cecot before he was transferred to another lock-up in El Salvador and ultimately brought back to the US to face criminal charges. In a filing Wednesday, Mr Abrego Garcia's lawyers argued that in light of the abuse he was subject to at the prison, he should be returned to Maryland to contest his continued detention in the state where he was living with his wife and child before his arrest in March by immigration officials. 'Once again the media is falling all over themselves to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia,' department of homeland security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. 'We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims.' READ MORE Mr Abrego Garcia's case has become a lightning rod for US president Donald Trump's immigration policy, under which the administration has increased deportations of undocumented migrants. Attorney general Pam Bondi has said an investigation determined that Mr Abrego Garcia was a member of the criminal gang MS-13 – a claim he denies – and a 'danger to our community'. His lawyers said in the filing that when he and about 260 other deportees arrived at Cecot on March 15th, they were greeted by a prison official who stated, 'Welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn't leave.' He was then forced to strip and 'subjected to physical abuse including being kicked in the legs with boots and struck on his head and arms to make him change clothes faster', his lawyers wrote. After that, the lawyers claim, his head was shaved and he was beaten with wooden batons as he was he was frogmarched to a cell with some 20 other Salvadorans. The inmates were forced to kneel on the floor all night 'with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion', said the filing. Mr Abrego Garcia's attorneys also said his experience at Cecot undercuts the claim that he has gang ties. Prison officials moved some inmates to other cells if they believed them to be gang members, but they did not move Mr Abrego Garcia, said the filing. 'Prison officials explicitly acknowledged that plaintiff Abrego Garcia's tattoos were not gang-related, telling him 'your tattoos are fine'.' – Bloomberg
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Kilmar Abrego Garcia claims he was tortured in El Salvadoran prison
Kilmar Abrego Garcia claims that he was tortured after being mistakenly deported to an El Salvadoran mega prison by the Trump administration. Lawyers for Mr Abrego Garcia, 29, who entered the US illegally, said the married father was subjected to 'severe beatings', 'sleep deprivation' and 'psychological torture' while incarcerated. The new details of Mr Abrego Garcia's time in El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Centre (Cecot) were added to a lawsuit against the Trump administration filed by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez. The Trump administration has asked a federal judge in Maryland, where Mr Abrego Garcia was living before his arrest in March, to dismiss Ms Vasquez's lawsuit, arguing that it is now moot because the government returned her husband to the US, as ordered by the court. His case became a flashpoint in a national debate about Mr Trump's border crackdown, sparking outrage from Democrats who held it up as evidence of the cruelty of the president's mass deportation programme. While imprisoned in El Salvador, he was allegedly kicked and hit so often upon arrival that by the following day, he had visible bruises and lumps all over his body, according to court documents. He added that he and 20 others were forced to kneel all night long and guards hit anyone who fell. Mr Abrego Garcia said detainees 'were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation'. He said prison officials repeatedly threatened to transfer him to a cell with gang members who would 'tear' him apart. He also allegedly saw other inmates violently attack each other and heard screams throughout the night. During his time at Cecot, his condition is said to have deteriorated rapidly owing to inadequate food provisions, causing him to lose more than 30 pounds in the first two weeks. Mr Abrego Garcia was returned to the US last month to face human smuggling charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. The White House initially pushed back against a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return, insisting he was a member of the notorious South American gang MS-13 – allegations his wife and lawyers have denied. He also allegedly beat Ms Vasquez in 2021, prompting her to get a restraining order against him and describe him as 'violent' in a handwritten statement. Ms Vasquez, who has since described her husband as an 'excellent father', previously told law enforcement he punched her, scratched her and ripped off her shirt. Mr Abrego Garcia is currently in jail in Tennessee awaiting trial.
The Guardian
14 hours ago
- The Guardian
Kilmar Ábrego García was tortured in Salvadorian prison, court filing alleges
Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and detained in one of that country's most notorious prisons, was physically and psychologically tortured during the three months he spent in Salvadorian custody, according to new court documents filed Wednesday. While being held at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) in El Salvador, Ábrego García and 20 other men 'were forced to kneel from approximately 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM', according to the court papers filed by his lawyers in the federal district court in Maryland. Guards struck anyone who fell from exhaustion while kneeling, and during that time, 'Ábrego García was denied bathroom access and soiled himself', according to the filing. Detainees were held in an overcrowded cell with no windows, and bright lights on 24 hours a day. They were confined to metal bunk beds with no mattresses. Ábrego García's testimony is one of the first detailed insights the world has into the conditions inside Cecot, a megaprison that human rights groups say is designed to disappear people. His lawyers say he lost 31 pounds during his first two weeks of confinement. Later, they write, he and four others were transferred to a different part of the prison 'where they were photographed with mattresses and better food–photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions'. The filings also note that officials within the prison acknowledged that Ábrego García was not a gang member, and that his tattoos did not indicate a gang affiliation. 'Prison officials explicitly acknowledged that plaintiff Ábrego García's tattoos were not gang-related, telling him 'your tattoos are fine,'' per the filing, and they kept him in a cell separate from those accused of gang membership. The prison officials, however, threatened to move Ábrego García into a cell with gang members whom officials said 'would 'tear' him apart'. Ábrego García is currently in federal custody in Nashville. The Trump administration brought him back from El Salvador after initially claiming it was powerless to do so. The US justice department wants him to stand trial on human-smuggling charges. The administration has also accused him of being a member of the street gang MS-13, and Donald Trump has claimed that Ábrego García's tattoos indicate that he belonged to the gang. Ábrego García has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges, which his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify the administration's mistake in deporting him after the fact. On Sunday , a Tennessee judge ordered his release while his criminal case plays out, but prosecutors said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would take Ábrego García into custody if that were to happen and he would be deported before he was given the chance to stand trial. A justice department lawyer, Jonathan Guynn, also told a federal judge in Maryland that the administration would deport Ábrego García not to El Salvador but to another, third country – contradicting statements from attorney general Pam Bondi that he would be sent to El Salvador. Amid the confusion, Ábrego García's lawyers requested that their client remain in criminal custody, fearing that if he were released, he would be deported. Upcoming hearings in both Maryland and Tennessee will help decide whether Ábrego García will be able to remain in the US and be released from jail.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Kilmar Ábrego García was tortured in Salvadorian prison, court filing alleges
Kilmar Ábrego García, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and detained in one of that country's most notorious prisons, was physically and psychologically tortured during the three months he spent in Salvadorian custody, according to new court documents filed Wednesday. While being held at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) in El Salvador, Ábrego García and 20 other men 'were forced to kneel from approximately 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM', according to the court papers filed by his lawyers in the federal district court in Maryland. Guards struck anyone who fell from exhaustion while kneeling, and during that time, 'Ábrego García was denied bathroom access and soiled himself', according to the filing. Detainees were held in an overcrowded cell with no windows, and bright lights on 24 hours a day. They were confined to metal bunk beds with no mattresses. Ábrego García's testimony is one of the first detailed insights the world has into the conditions inside Cecot, a megaprison that human rights groups say is designed to disappear people. His lawyers say he lost 31 pounds during his first two weeks of confinement. Later, they write, he and four others were transferred to a different part of the prison 'where they were photographed with mattresses and better food–photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions'. The filings also note that officials within the prison acknowledged that Ábrego García was not a gang member, and that his tattoos did not indicate a gang affiliation. 'Prison officials explicitly acknowledged that plaintiff Ábrego García's tattoos were not gang-related, telling him 'your tattoos are fine,'' per the filing, and they kept him in a cell separate from those accused of gang membership. The prison officials, however, threatened to move Ábrego García into a cell with gang members whom officials said 'would 'tear' him apart'. Ábrego García is currently in federal custody in Nashville. The Trump administration brought him back from El Salvador after initially claiming it was powerless to do so. The US justice department wants him to stand trial on human-smuggling charges. The administration has also accused him of being a member of the street gang MS-13, and Donald Trump has claimed that Ábrego García's tattoos indicate that he belonged to the gang. Ábrego García has pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges, which his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify the administration's mistake in deporting him after the fact. On Sunday , a Tennessee judge ordered his release while his criminal case plays out, but prosecutors said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would take Ábrego García into custody if that were to happen and he would be deported before he was given the chance to stand trial. A justice department lawyer, Jonathan Guynn, also told a federal judge in Maryland that the administration would deport Ábrego García not to El Salvador but to another, third country – contradicting statements from attorney general Pam Bondi that he would be sent to El Salvador. Amid the confusion, Ábrego García's lawyers requested that their client remain in criminal custody, fearing that if he were released, he would be deported. Upcoming hearings in both Maryland and Tennessee will help decide whether Ábrego García will be able to remain in the US and be released from jail.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Salvador president threatens to send imprisoned gangsters to Paris Fashion Week
El Salvador's president said he would send inmates of the country's notorious mega-prison to France in the wake of a Paris Fashion Week show critiquing the government's treatment of the prisoners. Nayib Bukele criticised a collection debuted by Willy Chavarria, a Mexican-American designer, featuring models wearing outfits resembling inmate uniforms at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot). The maximum-security prison was opened in 2023 on the orders of Mr Bukele as part of his war against organised crime, but human rights groups have raised concerns about poor conditions and a lack of due process. Responding to a message online saying Mr Chavarria's show was a tribute to Cecot prisoners, the El Salvador president wrote: 'We're ready to ship them all to Paris whenever we get the green light from the French government.' Mr Bukele's press team said the president's response showed his 'firm stance against the attempt to glorify criminality'. Mr Chavarria's Paris Fashion Week show opened with 35 men walking down the runway wearing white T-shirts and shorts that had been made in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union. The models then dropped into kneeling positions with their heads bowed, recalling images which emerged from El Salvador in the months after the government adopted a harsher approach to gangs. Others wore T-shirts emblazoned with the word 'America' upside-down, which fashion critics speculated was a commentary on Mr Chavarria's belief the country is moving backwards. The designer also sent invitations for his Spring 2026 show in the form of replica immigration summons, with the documents certifying readers' 'right to exist', before asking them to attend for a 'presentation of humanity'. Tens of thousands of suspected gang members have been rounded up and incarcerated in El Salvador since a state of emergency was declared in March 2022 following a spike in murders and violent crimes. Hailing the success of the crackdown, the country's government reported that the homicide rate fell by nearly 70 per cent in 2023. However, concerns have been raised about conditions inside Cecot, as well as the possibility that some of those imprisoned may be innocent of gang involvement. Human Rights Watch claimed inmates were denied communication with relatives or lawyers, with reports claiming prisoners only leave their cells for 30 minutes a day. Alongside roughly 15,000 domestic prisoners, Cecot also holds more than 200 Venezuelans deported from the United States, accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. The Trump administration paid Mr Bukele's government millions of dollars to lock up the migrants, claiming they were criminals and gang members. Donald Trump invoked little-used wartime legislation in March to fly the migrants to El Salvador without court hearings. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
