Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an MS-13 gang member and accused human trafficker, is claims in court about being “severely beaten” in El Salvador’s CECOT prison, where he lost 31 pounds in two weeks.
According to a court filing, Abrego Garcia claims:
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He was kicked in the legs, hit with batons, and slapped on the head and arms to make him change clothes faster
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Guards shaved his head and frog-marched him to his cell
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By the next day, he had “visible bruises and lumps”
His lawyer says he dropped 31 pounds in 14 days.
DHS fires back: media defending a criminal
The Department of Homeland Security wasn’t having it.
“The media’s sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member has completely fallen apart,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, “yet they continue to peddle his sob story.”
Politico reported that DHS blasted reporters for “falling all over themselves to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
Judges side with the gang member
Despite his human trafficking charges, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled last week that Abrego Garcia should not be detained while awaiting trial.
That ruling followed an earlier decision by federal magistrate judge Barbara Holmes, who also ordered his release.
Thankfully, ICE agents intervened, and Abrego Garcia was not released — despite two judges pushing for it.
DOJ: deportation still coming
The Justice Department told the court that Abrego Garcia will be deported, but not back to El Salvador. A “third country” will take him — though no timeline was given for his removal.
The decision to avoid sending him back to El Salvador comes after his abuse claims — a tactic critics say is designed to avoid justice in a country that knows how to deal with gang members.
Last month, Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty to federal child-trafficking charges and fought for release.
