Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador, is “alive and secure” in a high-security detention center, according to a US State Department official. The update comes just days after the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Trump administration must facilitate his release and return.
Garcia, 29, is currently held at El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)—a facility notorious for housing alleged gang members. He was among hundreds of migrants deported under a bilateral arrangement, despite having received legal protection from deportation in 2019 due to threats from local gangs in his home country.
State Department official Michael Kozak informed a federal judge on Saturday of Garcia’s whereabouts, citing reports from the US Embassy in San Salvador. The revelation follows accusations from Garcia’s legal team that the US government had “delayed, obfuscated and flouted” court orders while Garcia’s life remained at risk.
The Trump administration has acknowledged Garcia’s deportation as an “administrative error” but maintains he is affiliated with the MS-13 gang—an allegation his lawyer strongly denies.
A federal judge had previously ordered daily updates on efforts to secure Garcia’s return, a directive now backed by the Supreme Court. President Trump, who is scheduled to meet El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday, said he would comply with the court’s decision.
“If the Supreme Court said bring somebody back, I would do that,” Trump stated. On Truth Social, he thanked Bukele for accepting “some of the most violent alien enemies of the World,” referring to the deportees.
As legal and diplomatic efforts intensify, Garcia’s fate remains a high-stakes test of immigration law, human rights protections, and executive power.
