Headline Roundup • July 3rd, 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia Says He Was Tortured in El Salvador Prison
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident from El Salvador erroneously deported to El Salvador in March, alleges he was beaten, sleep-deprived, and psychologically tortured during his nearly three-month detainment in one of El Salvador's most notorious prisons.
The Details: According to court papers filed by Abrego Garcia's lawyers, he was held at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). His attorneys reported that he and 20 other deported Salvadoran men were subjected to severe conditions, including being made to kneel overnight, with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion. Abrego Garcia claims he lost nearly 31 pounds within his first two weeks at the prison. His lawyers have asked a federal judge in Maryland to immediately free their client from US custody.
For Context: Despite a 2019 order from a US immigration judge barring his deportation due to likely persecution by local gangs, Abrego Garcia was deported and became a focal point in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. He was returned to the US last month to face federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee. His lawyers have labeled these charges as an attempt to justify his accidental deportation. The Trump administration had described his deportation as an "administrative error."
How The Media Covered It: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) gave an account of the court papers and highlighted the ambiguity in the Trump administration's plans for Abrego Garcia, given the risk of him being deported again. The Washington Examiner (Lean Right) emphasized the Trump administration's role in the situation, quoting Attorney General Pam Bondi's statement that the charges against Abrego Garcia show "what American justice looks like." Meanwhile, NewsNationNow (Center) focused on Abrego Garcia's allegations, providing a detailed account of the conditions he faced in the Salvadoran prison. It also reported on Abrego Garcia's attorneys' fears of him being deported again upon release.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Suggest an improvement to this summary.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Diego Fishburn via AP
Kilmar Abrego Garcia said he suffered severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation and psychological torture in the notorious El Salvador prison the Trump administration had deported him to in March, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
He said he was kicked and hit so often after arrival that by the following day, he had visible bruises and lumps all over his body. He said he and 20 others were forced to kneel all night long and guards hit anyone who fell.
Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became a flashpoint...
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, was beaten, deprived of sleep and psychologically tortured during the nearly three months he spent in Salvadoran custody, according to court papers filed on Wednesday evening by his lawyers.
The papers, filed in Federal District Court in Maryland, detailed a litany of horrors that Mr. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers said he suffered while being held at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, one of El Salvador’s most notorious prisons.
His lawyers said that he and...
Mistakenly deported Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia said he suffered physical and psychological abuse in the Salvadoran prison where he was detained.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia to El Salvador on March 15, and he was held in the country’s maximum security CECOT facility, with the administration describing his deportation as an “administrative error.”
Abrego Garcia said he endured severe beatings, sleep deprivation, and psychological torture during his time at the prison, saying he was kicked and hit so often right after arrival that by the following day, he had visible bruises and lumps all...
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