SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Relief has spread as authorities have confirmed the whereabouts and well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador by U.S. immigration officials last month. In a court filing submitted on Saturday, a U.S. State Department official stated that Abrego Garcia is “alive and secure” while being held in a Salvadoran prison.
The confirmation comes after days of uncertainty and mounting pressure on the Trump administration to locate and ensure the safety of Abrego Garcia, a legal resident of the United States for approximately 14 years. His wrongful deportation sparked widespread condemnation and legal action, including a Supreme Court order demanding his return to the U.S.
According to the State Department filing by Michael G. Kozak, a senior official in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Abrego Garcia is currently detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador. Kozak stated that this information was based on official reporting from the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador.
“It is my understanding based on official reporting from our Embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador,” 1 Kozak wrote in the filing. “He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.” 2
However, the filing notably did not address the specific demands of U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who had ordered the administration to detail the steps it was taking to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States. Judge Xinis had expressed significant frustration during a Friday hearing regarding the lack of information provided by government lawyers about Abrego Garcia’s location and the efforts to bring him back.
Abrego Garcia’s legal team acknowledged the confirmation of his whereabouts but emphasized that this was only the first step. They are now demanding concrete action from the U.S. government to secure his release from Salvadoran custody and ensure his swift return to his family in Maryland.
“While we are relieved to learn that Mr. Abrego Garcia is alive, the fact remains that he was wrongly deported and remains unjustly detained,” stated Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys. “We will continue to press the court to hold the government accountable and to compel them to take immediate steps to bring him home.”
The case has highlighted concerns about the accuracy and oversight within the U.S. immigration system, particularly regarding deportations. Abrego Garcia, who has no criminal record and was previously granted protection from deportation to El Salvador by a U.S. immigration judge due to safety concerns, was deported along with other individuals the Trump administration alleged were gang members – an accusation Abrego Garcia vehemently denies.
The legal battle for Abrego Garcia’s return is expected to continue, with his attorneys likely to seek further court orders to compel the U.S. government to actively work towards his release and transportation back to the United States. While the news of his safety provides some reassurance, the fundamental question of how a U.S. resident with legal protections was wrongly deported remains a critical point of contention.