El Salvador president denies that Abrego Garcia was tortured in prison

FILE PHOTO: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, is seen wearing a Chicago Bulls hat, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Thursday denied accusations that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant returned to the U.S. in early June after being wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador, was tortured in a Salvadoran prison.

In a court filing in the U.S. on Wednesday, Abrego Garcia gave a first-hand description of his experience at the Salvadoran high-security prison CECOT and reported severe mistreatment.