Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has released prison surveillance footage to counter claims of abuse made by Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a suspected MS-13 member deported from the U.S. to El Salvador’s high-security prison. Garcia alleged he was beaten, starved, and denied basic human needs. But Bukele shared over 3 minutes of video showing Garcia eating, gardening, fishing, and playing soccer and chess — appearing healthy and unharmed.
The footage, however, was recorded after Garcia’s transfer to a different prison, sparking debate over the truth of his treatment at the infamous CECOT facility. Bukele mocked the media and courts for believing Garcia, while citing a U.S. Senator who met Garcia and saw “no signs of abuse.” Garcia remains in a U.S. prison facing human smuggling charges as legal battles over his deportation continue in Maryland. The DOJ is now pushing to dismiss Garcia’s lawsuit, but the judge has yet to agree.
