CECOT and the Case of Abrego Garcia (Trigger Warning)

*** TRIGGER WARNING ***

It’s not a pretty conversation but we’re going to have it. Torture, abuse, sexual violence and death. By now you’ve heard about Kilmer Abrego Garcia and the case to bring him home from the CECOT prison in El Salvador. What the media isn’t talking about is the deep horrors and truth about the many human rights violations at the hands of the government of El Salvador in this prison and other prisons just like it.

After WW2 the world said “never again”. Yet time and again, human beings are still subject to atrocities and maybe it might make the news, many times it does not. Recently El Salvador allowed journalists from the US and UK into CECOT as a way of “showing off” their iron fist and to “prove” they cracked down on gang violence. The truth however, from those who had been held there and the families of those who never made it home alive tells another tale. Watchdog groups have been sounding alarms at the human rights violations and the United States has not only turned a blind eye, they have given them money to assist in their “security “ measures. Under the Biden administration alone, $115 million dollars was paid for such efforts. Under the Trump administration, deals are being cut to send deported individuals to the CECOT facility for $25,000 per person. Worse yet, the Trump administration doesn’t want to stop at sending immigrants there, he wants to send US citizens as well.

In El Salvador citizens are arrested simply upon verbal accusations. Because their current state of emergency that has been renewed 24 times as of 2024, due process is limited. Judges appointed by the current administration will see up to 500 people at a time, the hearing lasting 3-5 mins, and rubber stamp sentences are carried out. No evidence submitted, no lawyer for the accused. They are then sent to a facility that has them under artificial light 24/7, where disease runs rampant, healthcare lacking and torture is common. Reports of electric shock, waterboarding, asphyxiation with plastic bags and sexual abuse are common. Over 200 deaths have been reported due to neglect, or denial of medical care. Victims are malnourished and evidence of abuse remain on the body when they are returned to their families (broken bones, burns). Minors as young as 12 are put in adult facilities, violating international law.

Despite the recent Supreme Court decision that the Alien and Enemies Act can be used (so long as due process is given), the use of the act is a gross overstep of Executive Power. In the case of Abrego Garcia, he along with 199 others were deported to CECOT without due process. This is a gross violation of the 5th Amendment and violates the UN Convention Against Torture which prohibits transferring people to places where they face persecution or abuse. Not only are we in a Constitutional Crisis, we are on the verge of a global humanitarian crisis. Without severe pushback, other nations may feel emboldened to take similar actions and send those they deem “undesirable “ to places that have no issue torturing people. Abrego Garcia stands as a symbol, if it can happen to one, it can happen to anyone.

Right now we stand on a precipice. The Supreme Court has order the Trump administration to take steps to bring Abrego Garcia home, yet they state that he is in the sovereign custody of El Salvador. Such a statement deflects from Executive Power as they still hold an obligation to follow the law and court orders of the United States. El Salvador also faces a conundrum, if they release him, it will weaken their “iron fist” image and if they don’t, they risk losing US financial support. No one seems to be on the side of humanity between the leaders. If the US is willing to sacrifice one man to align itself with a dictator regime, it’s setting a dangerous precedent. I won’t hold my breath that the US will do the right thing. Garcia is one of many stories that have come out about those that were rounded up and sent to CECOT, even when a judge ordered the planes to be turned around. How many innocent men are sitting in a torture facility and furthermore- why would ANYONE be okay with this?

It should alarm even the most ardent “patriot” that anyone would be denied due process. To be then sent to a torture facility when no actual crime has been proven, it utterly defenseless. Worse yet, the US government put out propaganda videos showing the men in chains, coming off the place to serve as some sort of warning to anyone who may seek asylum in the United States. Just last week Trump revoked the legal status of nearly a million residents and social security is revoking their numbers, adding them to the list of “dead”. Not only were they stripped of legal status without DUE PROCESS, they also have had their ability to work taken from them. Real people, real families are being destroyed because of this and there is barely a whimper in the press or on Capitol Hill about it. Imagine fleeing for fear of your life, risking everything you have, risking your life, leaving loved ones behind, given refuge and then having that stripped from you on a moments notice. Where are these people supposed to go? Back to the countries they fled from? From the places they left for fear of their lives and safety? With what money? The cruelty is beyond anything I have seen in my life and worse yet - we are only 3 months into this 4 year hellscape.

We aren’t outraged enough….