His legal status in the U.S. protected him from deportation.

On Wednesday, U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen arrived in El Salvador to request the release of Salvadoran citizen Kilmar Abrego, who is currently being held at the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) after being deported from the United States.

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Van Hollen hopes to meet with the U.S. Embassy team and Salvadoran officials to discuss the release of Abrego, who was “illegally kidnapped and needs to return home,” the Democratic lawmaker stated.

Abrego is one of over 200 migrants who were expelled from the U.S. on March 16 and sent to the high-security prison without the ability to appeal their cases in court—something human rights advocacy groups have described as “forced disappearance.”

The U.S. government has defended the expulsions, accusing the migrants of having ties to the Venezuelan criminal organization Aragua Train and the MS-13 gang, both recently designated by Washington as terrorist groups. However, multiple investigations by U.S. media outlets have shown that the majority of the migrants expelled to El Salvador have no criminal records.

Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that upheld a lower court order in Maryland instructing the government to facilitate Abrego’s return, both the U.S. and El Salvador have denied having the authority to do so.

During a visit to the White House this week, President Bukele refused to release Abrego, labeling him a terrorist and incorrectly claiming that bringing him back to the U.S. would be illegal.

For its part, the Trump administration has refused to provide information about Abrego to the court, arguing that the agreement between San Salvador and Washington is “classified,” only stating that the 24-year-old man is alive.

The Salvadoran, who was arrested by immigration authorities at a traffic checkpoint, had legal status in the U.S. that protected him from deportation and is married to a U.S. citizen.

Abrego had been living in the state of Maryland after fleeing El Salvador due to extortion and threats he and his family received from the Barrio 18 gang, according to court documents filed by his defense team.

The Trump administration reached an agreement with Bukele to send migrants detained in the U.S. to CECOT, a mega-prison that has been the subject of numerous human rights abuse allegations.

As part of the deal, the specific details of which remain undisclosed, Washington will pay El Salvador six million dollars annually to support the Central American country’s prison system.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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