Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, recently revealed that he was moved from the infamous CECOT mega-prison to another, less known, facility in the country. Now, new details about his new home are emerging.
Abrego Garcia was moved to Centro Industrial prison in Santa Ana, where he has his own room with a bed and furniture, rather than a prison cell, according to a court filing.
Unlike CECOT, where tattooed gang members reside in brightly lit, crowded cells, Santa Ana inmates wear yellow T-shirts and move more or less freely. Some spend much of their time outdoors raising dairy cows and growing vegetables, while others work in factories making uniforms for the armed forces or desks for public schools, according to a new report from NBC News.
The government calls them "trusted inmates" as they have exhibited good behavior and are in the final years of their sentences. And the prison categorically excludes anyone accused of belonging to a gang.
"We only house the common population," Samuel Diaz, the prison's director and warden, told NBC News. "No gang members work here."
The news outlet obtained access to the prison in a carefully choreographed tour. While officials did not provide information or access to Abrego Garcia, or his whereabouts, they facilitated interviews with other inmates, who described the conditions in the prison as "excellent."
News about Abrego Garcia's new placement in the Salvadoran prison came to light after the Trump administration communicated the development to a federal judge. However, they provided no reason for the move.
Likewise, Abrego Garcia himself told Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, the only person he has had contact with since his imprisonment, about his transfer on April 17.
"Abrego Garcia told Sen. Van Hollen that he had been placed in the administrative building of Centro Industrial, in a room of his own with a bed and furniture, and that he was not in a cell," according to State Department official Michael Kozak, who has been providing updates to a U.S. judge overseeing the case.
For human rights advocates in El Salvador and the United States, the details of Abrego Garcia's transfer contradicts a central claim made by both governments: that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous member of MS-13 and a terrorist. Both allegations have been denied by his wife and attorney.
Likewise, the migrant's transfer out of CECOT is worrisome, said Gabriela Santos, director of the Human Rights Institute at the Central American University in San Salvador.
"Why was he moved?" Santos said. "And where are all the other migrants that were brought here— are they in CECOT, or are they being put in different prisons in El Salvador?"
Abrego Garcia's precise whereabouts and condition remain unknown. Since he was deported, he has been allowed no contact with his family or lawyers, and the only time he has been since he was deported was in the meeting with Sen. Van Hollen.
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