May 27, 2025
Kilmar Ábrego García was deported from the United States to El Salvador despite having legal status that protected him. He is described as one of more than 200 migrants expelled from the US and sent to high-security prisons in El Salvador without access to family or lawyers.
US Congressman Glenn Ivey reported on social media that Salvadoran authorities denied him access to Kilmar Ábrego, who was deported due to an “administrative error” by the US and transferred to a prison in the South American country, despite having made formal arrangements in advance to meet with the migrant.
“Today I was denied access to see my constituent, Mr. Kilmar Abrego García. If there is nothing to hide, stop talking nonsense. Let his lawyer and I investigate,” the Democratic congressman said on his account on X. Ivey, who represents Abrego Garcia’s district in Maryland, said he was “deeply disappointed and frankly angry” that he was not allowed to see him.
According to the US congressman, the visit was notified in advance and formal arrangements were made with the US ambassador and both governments.
Ivey also mentioned that last week he met with El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States, Milena Mayorga, to discuss his desire to visit Ábrego García and the possibility of meeting with Vice President Félix Ulloa, a meeting that also did not take place.
The main purpose of his visit, he said, was to see Kilmar to “make sure he is okay, to talk about his legal rights.”
The case of Kilmar Ábrego García
The Salvadoran migrant was deported from the US to El Salvador despite having legal status that protected him. He had been living in the US for years and had a work permit.
He had applied for asylum after fleeing El Salvador due to extortion and threats that he and his family received from the Barrio 18 gang, according to court documents. An order issued in 2019 by a US immigration judge protected Ábrego García from deportation to his home country because he faced likely persecution.
Despite this court order, the Trump administration deported Ábrego García to El Salvador in March 2025.
Upon arrival, he was arbitrarily taken to the CECOT (Terrorism Confinement Center). The US government later acknowledged that the deportation had been an “administrative error” for failing to take into account the court order protecting him.
In an attempt to “cover up” the blunder, US administration officials claimed that Ábrego García was deported based on a 2019 accusation by the Maryland police that he was a member of the MS-13 gang.
Ábrego García denied this accusation and was never charged with a crime. Despite acknowledging the mistake, Trump and others have continued to insist that he is a member of MS-13. His lawyer, Chris Newman, has asked for “proof that he is alive,” to know his location, and whether he is receiving medical treatment, as nothing has been heard from him since May 17.
Source: Telesur, translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English