Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Abrego Garcia described being 'traumatized' at CECOT, has been moved [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
Updated 5:56 PM EDT, Fri April 18, 2025
CNN — Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Friday detailed his recent meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador described being “traumatized” by his time at the country’s notorious CECOT prison and has since been moved.
“He said he was not afraid of the other prisoners in his immediate cell but that he was traumatized by being at CECOT and fearful of many of the prisoners in other cell blocks who called out to him and taunted him in various ways,” Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, told reporters at Dulles Airport near Washington, DC, after landing back in the US.
The US senator said Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident, told him he had been moved from the maximum-security prison to another detention center nine days ago. “He’s no longer at CECOT,” Van Hollen said. “He’s at a different prison which is pretty far outside of San Salvador.” The senator shared that the new facility is in Santa Ana where “conditions are better” but did not provide additional details.
Van Hollen also claimed the Trump administration has committed to paying El Salvador $15 million to detain prisoners, including Abrego Garcia. He claimed that $4 million has been “paid out” so far.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/18/politics/chris-van-hollen-kilmar-abrego-garcia-cecot-el-salvador/index.html
Full headline: Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Abrego Garcia described being ‘traumatized’ at CECOT, has been moved to different detention center
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