Kilmar Abrego recounts torture during his detention

Nayib Bukele denies torturing Kilmar Ábrego during his illegal detention in El Salvador.

Kilmar Ábrego García is a Salvadoran migrant who was mistakenly deported in March and sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). After pressure from judges, lawyers, and family members, he was returned to the United States in June, where he faces criminal charges for trafficking undocumented migrants.

The lawyers of Ábrego Garcia have filed reports with the Maryland Court, detailing the torture he was subjected to in El Salvador. The testimony indicates that after arriving at the CECOT, his head was shaved, and he was kicked and beaten so many times that he had visible bruises on his body.

Ábrego García also reported that at night he was forced to kneel next to other detainees, and anyone who fell due to exhaustion was beaten by the officers. Ábrego García was detained in an overcrowded, windowless cell with bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day with minimal access to sanitary facilities.

The report also states that Ábrego, along with four other inmates, were transferred to another part of the prison to take photos with mattresses and better food. He remained at the CECOT for almost a month and was then transferred to a prison in Santa Ana, where he lost about 14 kilos in the first two weeks.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted a video on his X account showing Ábrego in a comfortable room playing chess. The president did so intending to refute his testimony. Kilmar is now in federal custody in Tennessee, and the Trump administration has said it plans to deport him if found guilty. His lawyers filed new requests for an order preventing his removal from the United States.