Washington pays El Salvador 15 million to detain deported migrants: the case of Abrego García

Senator Van Hollen denounces the illegal deportation of a protected resident and accuses the administration of violating constitutional rights. El Salvador houses deported migrants in its prisons

The United States is paying El Salvador $15 million to detain deported migrants in local prisons. This was revealed by the Democratic Senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, during a press conference in which he spoke about the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran citizen legally residing in the USA and deported despite a judicial protection in force.

The case has stirred controversy, especially after an appeals court harshly criticised the Trump administration for ignoring a federal judge’s order preventing García’s deportation.

‘It’s not just one man’s story,’ Van Hollen said, ’but an issue about protecting the constitutional rights of people living in the United States. The senator reported that García, after his arrest in Baltimore, could not make any phone calls and was transferred to Texas. From there, chained and on board a plane with blacked-out windows, he was deported with other migrants and left in the Cecot, El Salvador’s notorious maximum security prison.

García was then transferred to another prison institution, with slightly better conditions. Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that he will not be allowed to return to the US, despite a Supreme Court order requiring the Trump administration to cooperate with his return.

In a post on social media, President Donald Trump commented on Senator Van Hollen’s initiative, calling him ‘an idiot’ for travelling to Central America, further fuelling tension over the handling of migration policy.

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