Salvadoran prison officials reportedly told wrongfully detained Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia that his tattoos were not gang-related, a direct contradiction of President Donald Trump's repeated claims that he bore MS-13 symbols and posed a violent threat, according to attorneys.
Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison by the Trump administration in March despite a standing court order prohibiting it, has accused both U.S. and Salvadoran authorities of subjecting him to abuse, deception and fabricated accusations of gang affiliation.
The deportation, which the U.S. Supreme Court later acknowledged as illegal, thrust Abrego Garcia into a prison notorious for violence and secrecy, Politico reported. Upon his arrival, he alleged that guards shaved his head, beat him with batons and threw him into an overcrowded cell with 20 other detainees under constant lights and limited access to bathrooms or bedding.
Abrego Garcia reportedly lost 31 pounds in two weeks and was not allowed to contact his family or a lawyer until Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited him on April 17. Despite Trump's insistence, on television and in court filings, that Abrego had MS-13-related tattoos, Salvadoran prison officials reportedly told him, "Your tattoos are fine."
These statements, documented in a 40-page amended complaint filed this week, come from CECOT authorities who routinely deal with gang members and are trained to identify such markings. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the Justice Department failed to provide credible evidence linking Abrego to any gang.
Following growing legal pressure, Abrego was eventually released from Salvadoran custody and flown back to the U.S. to face separate human smuggling charges in Tennessee. He remains detained but has opted to stay incarcerated until at least mid-July, citing fears that the Trump administration might deport him again despite ongoing legal proceedings.
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