Kilmar Abrego Garcia Was Tortured in Salvadoran Prison

Court Filing Alleges U.S. Deported Maryland Man to Torture, Then Brought Him Back for Trial

WASHINGTON — A Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year was tortured in one of the country’s most notorious prisons, according to new court filings submitted Wednesday.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was returned to the United States in June after mounting public and legal pressure, was subjected to beatings, sleep deprivation, denial of bathroom access, and psychological torment while held for nearly three months at the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, his attorneys said in a revised complaint filed in federal court in Maryland.

“He was once forced to kneel overnight, while guards struck anyone who collapsed from exhaustion,” the filing states. His lawyers added that Abrego Garcia soiled himself after being denied access to a toilet and was confined to a windowless, overcrowded cell with no mattresses and bright lights kept on around the clock.

Shortly after his arrival at the prison on March 15, a guard reportedly told him: “Welcome to CECOT. Whoever …