Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who lived legally in Maryland since 2019, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March 2025 due to what the Trump administration described as an "administrative error." Despite a U.S. immigration judge granting him "withholding of removal" status in 2019 to protect him from gang violence, Abrego Garcia was sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a notorious maximum-security prison.
The deportation has drawn widespread criticism, with U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis calling it "wholly lawless" and highlighting the lack of evidence for claims that Abrego Garcia was affiliated with MS-13. The Supreme Court ruled on April 10 that his removal was illegal and ordered the government to "facilitate" his release from the Salvadoran prison. However, President Nayib Bukele has refused to release him, citing security concerns.
Abrego Garcia’s case underscores systemic flaws in U.S. immigration enforcement and raises questions about human rights violations in El Salvador’s prison system. Legal experts and advocates continue to push for his return, while the Trump administration faces scrutiny over its handling of the case.
