President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador on Thursday released video footage purportedly showing the cell where Kilmar Abrego Garcia was detained at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) prison complex, which the foreign leader says disproves the alleged human smuggler’s claims of torture while incarcerated in his homeland.
The video posted by Bukele to the social media platform X contains various photos and videos of Abrego Garcia at the CECOT prison, including footage of his cell from March 30, which appears to fall one day after the period when Abrego Garcia claimed guards were beating him due to his status as a new arrival at the prison.
Abrego Garcia claimed he was repeatedly struck by guards immediately after arriving, then was forced to kneel for hours, during which time he soiled himself. Abrego Garcia then claimed that he was regularly struck by guards, leaving his body bruised and covered in bumps, throughout the his first two weeks at the prison. He also claimed to lose 31 pounds over a period of weeks due to poor nutrition.
“Apparently, anything a criminal claims is accepted as truth by the mainstream media and the crumbling Western judiciary,” wrote Bukele. “But the man wasn’t tortured, nor did he lose weight. In fact, photos show he gained weight while in detention.”
Apparently, anything a criminal claims is accepted as truth by the mainstream media and the crumbling Western judiciary.
But the man wasn’t tortured, nor did he lose weight. In fact, photos show he gained weight while in detention. There’s plenty of footage from different days,… pic.twitter.com/PzvLcCNzrK
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) July 3, 2025
Bukele stated El Salvador retains footage from throughout Abrego Garcia’s incarceration, including his participation in a “fish farming program,” as well as a depiction of the meeting between Abrego Garcia and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). Bukele included video of Van Hollen confirming that Abrego Garcia did not appear to be suffering from abuse during their April meeting.
Van Hollen said in a clip from a press conference included in the video released by Bukele, “I asked him if he was okay. He said yes. He said he has a blood pressure condition, he has seen a doctor. You know, from a very cursory examination, he seemed okay.”
The Tennessee Star contacted Van Hollen’s press office on Thursday to ask whether he noticed any signs of abuse, including whether he noticed Abrego Garcia had lost weight, or if the alleged human smuggler displayed abnormal reactions to food, but did not receive a response.
“If he’d been tortured, sleep-deprived, and starved, why does he look so well in every picture?” Bukele questioned, “Why would he gain weight? Why are there no bruises, or even dark circles under his eyes?”
The Star was the first outlet to report that the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped Abrego Garcia in November 2022, when troopers suspected him of human trafficking, but were ultimately ordered to release him by the “Biden-era FBI.”
Abrego Garcia claimed he was wrongfully deported in March. On June 6, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) returned him to Tennessee after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unsealed an indictment alleging he participated in a human smuggling ring for nearly a decade. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to set a trial date for Abrego Garcia “as soon as possible.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Kilmar Abrego Garcia” by Nayib Bukele.
““Apparently, anything a criminal claims is accepted as truth by the mainstream media and the crumbling Western judiciary,” wrote Bukele.”
A sick society we have when the mainstream media holds human traffickers in high esteem, while trashing and lying about President Trump at every turn.