BALTIMORE — Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, the undocumented migrant arrested last month in Baltimore and deported to his home country of El Salvador was recently transferred to a different detention facility.
The move was confirmed by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security attorney in an April 21 court filing to a District Court judge in Maryland who demanded daily updates on Abrego-Garcia's status.
"On April 20 and 21, our Ambassador requested an update from the Salvadoran government regarding the physical location and custodial status of Mr. Abrego-Garcia," the court filing reads. "The Salvadoran government responded on April 21 that Mr. Abrego-Garcia is being held at the Centro Industrial penitentiary facility in Santa Ana, “in good conditions and in an excellent state of health.”
The news verifies what Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen previously reported upon his return from meeting with Abrego-Garcia in El Salvador.
Van Hollen said Abrego-Garcia was traumatized by his experience in CECOT, but expressed no fear of the approximately 25 inmates he temporarily shared a cell with.
Abrego-Garcia was living in Maryland with his wife and child, both of whom are American citizens, when he was taken into ICE custody for allegedly being a member of the murderous MS-13 gang.
He's denied any gang associations, despite two courts determining he failed to prove otherwise.
Nonetheless, Abrego-Garcia was sent to CECOT, El Salvador's notorious maximum security terrorism confinement center.
While an immigration judge in 2019 cleared the way for Abrego-Garcia to be removed from the U.S., he was barred from being returned to El Salvador over potential safety concerns.
The Trump Administration later conceded his deportation was carried out in error, but said they couldn't force a foreign government to free him.
Abrego-Garcia's case has gained national attention, sparking protests nationwide.
His wife sued the federal government, with the lawsuit already reaching the Supreme Court.
The justices ruled the White House must "facilitate [Abrego-Garica's] release," while a lower court ordered they "effectuate [his] return."
There's now an ongoing court battle between the Executive and Judicial branches on what that exactly means.
Trump and company have expressed extreme frustration with the media's portrayal of Abrego-Garcia as a "Maryland Father or Maryland Man," wrongly deported to El Salvador.
Officials have made a concerted effort to paint Abrego-Garcia as a foreign terrorist involved in human trafficking.
On April 16, DHS took to X sharing copies of a 2021 protective order Abrgeo-Garcia's wife filed against him in Prince George's County.
A couple hours later Attorney General Pam Bondi released several pages of documents she says proves Abrego-Garcia's MS-13 membership.
Then over the weekend DHS publicly released an internal report detailing a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee, where a highway patrolman suspected Abrego-Garcia was involved in human/labor trafficking.
Meanwhile efforts by Democratic leaders and activist organizations to secure Abrego-Garcia's release are ongoing.
As mentioned before, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen shared photos of his meeting with Abrego-Garcia, for which Trump and the Salvadoran President appeared to mock.
Currently another U.S. Congressional delegation is on the ground in El Salvador calling for Abrego-Garcia's release.
Back home, litigation continues with no end in sight, as Attorney General Pam Bondi vows to keep Abrego-Garcia out of the country.
