El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, sent shockwaves through international circles on April 18 by posting haunting images of Kilmar Armando Ábrego García behind bars at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)—a facility widely denounced as the “world’s worst prison.” Ábrego García, a Maryland legal resident, was accidentally deported by U.S. authorities despite a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return. Unilad’s exposé brought the case back into the spotlight.
The Supreme Court had halted Ábrego García’s removal and directed the government to correct its error. Yet Justice Department officials claimed no plan was in place to retrieve him, placing the onus on El Salvador’s government. Bukele countered that argument directly on X: “He isn’t sipping margaritas in paradise; he’s enduring torture in a terror camp.” CNN breaks down the legal tug‑of‑war.
Human‑rights groups have mobilized in response. Amnesty International demanded an “urgent humanitarian corridor,” and the ACLU announced plans to file an emergency motion to enforce the Supreme Court’s injunction. Their statements underscore a rare bipartisan outcry over due‑process violations. Read their full release.
On Capitol Hill, reactions spanned the aisle. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D–MD) decried the “callous disregard for due process” and pressed the administration to rescind Ábrego García’s deportation order. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, while defending firm immigration enforcement, conceded that “administrative snafus” must be fixed to prevent such injustices. Politico flagged their remarks.
Inside CECOT, conditions are nightmarish. Former inmates describe cramped cells so overcrowded that detainees take shifts just to lie down, while torrential rains flood the interior through cracked walls. Médecins Sans Frontières and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have both called for independent inspections. Amnesty’s campaign page compiles survivor testimonies.
“My father never imagined ending up here, behind barbed wire. We need him back home.” — Daughter of Kilmar Ábrego García https://twitter.com/el_salvador_help/status/1913058765432109876— El Salvador Help (@el_salvador_help) April 18, 2025
Behind the scenes, U.S. and El Salvadorian envoys have quietly opened talks. Sources tell Reuters that a special flight could bring Ábrego García home within days—if Bukele agrees to accommodate other deportees in CECOT as a quid pro quo.
Back in Maryland, his family is mounting a relentless advocacy campaign under the hashtag #BringBackKilmar. His son, Miguel, told The Washington Post, “This tragedy was preventable with proper record‑keeping.” Their pleas have echoed across Spanish‑ and English‑language platforms.
As diplomatic and legal dramas unfold, Bukele’s bold disclosure has elevated a single man’s ordeal into a symbol of the perils of administrative failure—and a stark reminder that immigration policy carries real human stakes.
