El Salvador’s President Denies Torture Allegations in High-Profile Deportation Case

President Nayib Bukele rejects claims of abuse in Salvadoran prison as U.S. migrant recounts mistreatment

San Salvador, July 4 — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Thursday refuted allegations that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a U.S. resident deported in error to El Salvador earlier this year, was subjected to torture while detained in the country’s high-security prison.

Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was returned to the U.S. in early June, described in a U.S. court filing this week severe mistreatment during his incarceration at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). His legal team alleged that during his two-week detention, he endured “severe beatings, extreme sleep deprivation, psychological torture, and inadequate nutrition,” resulting in a weight loss of over 31 pounds (14 kilograms).

President Bukele, responding via social media, dismissed the claims. “But the man wasn’t tortured, nor did he lose weight,” he posted. “If he’d been tortured, sleep-deprived, and starved, why does he look so well in every picture?” Bukele included images and a video purportedly showing Abrego Garcia in custody.

Abrego Garcia, whose wife and child are U.S. citizens, was deported to El Salvador on March 15, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling prohibiting his removal due to the risk of persecution by gangs in his native country. U.S. authorities later admitted the deportation was an “administrative error.”

The incident has drawn sharp criticism from opponents of U.S. President Donald Trump, who argue that his administration has prioritized aggressive deportation efforts at the expense of due process rights—legal protections that allow all persons in the U.S., regardless of immigration status, to challenge government actions in court.

President Trump, who has made a renewed crackdown on illegal immigration a central campaign theme, has claimed that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with the violent MS-13 gang—a charge his attorneys firmly deny.

After his return to the United States on June 6, Abrego Garcia was indicted by federal prosecutors for his alleged role in a human smuggling operation involving at least five co-conspirators. He has pleaded not guilty and is currently held in custody in Tennessee as legal proceedings continue. U.S. authorities have stated their intention to deport him again following the outcome of the criminal case.

The controversy continues to raise legal and diplomatic questions surrounding immigration enforcement, human rights protections, and the treatment of deportees in foreign detention systems.