Kilmar Abrego Garcia said he experienced “psychological torture,” physical abuse and alarming conditions while housed in El Salvador’s most notorious mega prison.
The account, revealed through court filings late Wednesday, marked Abrego Garcia’s first time speaking about his months imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported by the Trump administration due to an “administrative error.”
Abrego Garcia describes being transferred to CECOT, a facility known by its acronym in Spanish, saying as soon as he got off a plane he was “repeatedly struck by officers when he attempted to raise his head.”
Abrego Garcia said he experienced “severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture” while imprisoned in CECOT. He lost more than 30 pounds during the two weeks he spent there.
CECOT is known to crowd inmates in cells well beyond their capacity, with bunk beds stacked three levels high with no mattresses, and in Abrego Garcia’s case, just two toilets shared by approximately 80 men. Lights are kept on at all times, and “there are no windows, fans, or air conditioning, despite the region’s warm and humid climate.”
The prisoners must stay in their cells for all but 30 minutes a day and are not allowed any contact with the outside world.
Abrego Garcia said after his arrival, he was “kicked in the legs with boots and struck on his head and arms to make him change clothes faster. His head was shaved with a zero razor, and he was frog-marched to cell 15, being struck with wooden batons along the way.”
The next day, he had visible bruises and lumps all over his body.
One night, he and other inmates were forced to spend the entire night kneeling.
“In Cell 15, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia and 20 other Salvadorans were forced to kneel from approximately 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion. During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself.”
The account also counters claims from the Trump administration that Abrego Garcia is a gang member, something he has denied, noting that prison staff at CECOT separated him from others with known gang tattoos, telling him “your tattoos are fine.”
Critics have accused the Trump administration of seeking to classify gang members by tattoos, even though some gangs do not use them as an identifier. Many of those imprisoned had tattoos that were references to sports teams or their hometowns.
“While at CECOT, prison officials repeatedly told Plaintiff Abrego Garcia that they would transfer him to the cells containing gang members who, they assured him, would ‘tear’ him apart,” the filing states.
“Indeed, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia repeatedly observed prisoners in nearby cells who he understood to be gang members violently harm each other with no intervention from guards or personnel. Screams from nearby cells would similarly ring out throughout the night without any response from prison guards on personnel.”
Abrego Garcia was later transferred out of CECOT to another prison but said before he left he was forced to appear in what he believed was a staged photo.
“On April 9, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia and four others were transferred to a different module in CECOT, where they were photographed with mattresses and better food—photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions,” the filing states.
The filing also accuses the Trump administration of being aware of the well-documented conditions at CECOT.
“Defendants are aware that the government of El Salvador tortures individuals detained in CECOT. Indeed, U.S. President Donald Trump has made comments to the press expressing glee and delight at the torture that the Government of El Salvador inflicts upon detainees in CECOT,” attorneys for Abrego Garcia wrote.
The filing, at many points, also counters many Trump administration claims made as they were forced to offer updates about his conditions. During that time, the Justice Department told a Maryland judge that Abrego Garcia was “in good health” and claimed he had gained weight.
The Department of Homeland Security faulted the media in responding to Abrego Garcia’s account.
“Once again the media is falling all over themselves to defend Kilmar Abrego Garcia. This illegal alien is an MS-13 gang member, alleged human trafficker, and a domestic abuser. The media’s sympathetic narrative about this criminal illegal gang member has completely fallen apart, yet they continue to peddle his sob story,” the DHS wrote on the social platform X.
“We hear far too much about gang members and criminals’ false sob stories and not enough about their victims.”
Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported despite a 2019 order from an immigration court judge barring his removal to his home country.
Multiple court orders — including one from the Supreme Court — directed the Trump administration to facilitate his return. He was brought back to the U.S. earlier this month as the Justice Department announced it would bring human trafficking charges against Abrego Garcia stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
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