Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident at the center of a growing legal and diplomatic storm, is no longer being held inside El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, according to recent updates from U.S. officials. His relocation follows mounting pressure after his controversial deportation under the Alien Enemies Act—despite a U.S. Supreme Court order blocking such action.
Abrego Garcia was deported in March to El Salvador, where he was placed in the high-security facility known for housing gang leaders and violent offenders. The move drew sharp criticism from legal advocates, who noted that he had been granted protection from deportation in 2019 and has no criminal convictions in the U.S.
Following a visit by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, it was confirmed that Abrego Garcia has been transferred to a separate detention center in Santa Ana. The senator reported that Garcia is currently in isolation and described his earlier treatment in CECOT as deeply traumatic.
While the Supreme Court has ordered the U.S. government to “facilitate” his return, the administration argues it is not obligated to retrieve him from foreign custody. Meanwhile, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has refused to release Garcia, maintaining that he will remain detained under Salvadoran jurisdiction.
The case continues to spark fierce debate over the limits of executive power, international cooperation, and the use of historical laws to carry out modern-day deportations.