Kilmar Abrego Garcia ‘healthy’ in first photo after deportation, will not be released: El Salvador

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted photos of deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia sipping margaritas with Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Updated on: Apr 18, 2025, 07:11:58 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted photos of deported Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported, sipping margaritas with Sen. Chris Van Hollen amid concerns about the 29-year-old's health. Nayib further added that Abrego Garcia will not be released.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia (L) was seen for the first time since being deported to El Salvador (X/Nayib Bukele)

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the “death camps” & “torture”, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!🍹” the Salvadorian president wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. He further attached photos of Abrego Garcia talking to Sen Van Hollen.

In an update minutes later, President Bukele added that the Maryland resident will not be released.“Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody."

Meanwhile, Maryland Sen Van Hollen confirmed that he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. In a social media post, the Democrat said that he will provide a complete update when he returns to the US.

“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return,” the lawmaker tweeted.

This is the first time Abrego Garcia has been pictured since being arrested in Prince George's County last month. President Donald Trump and Bukele said this week that they have no basis to send the 29-year-old back, even as the Trump administration has called his deportation a mistake and the US Supreme Court has called on the administration to facilitate his return.

Trump officials claimed that Abrego Garcia has ties to the MS-13 gang, further adding that he also beat his wife. Maryland Sen Van Hollen, meanwhile, decided to take a trip to El Salvador to meet the 29-year-old.

Van Hollen said Abrego Garcia has not had any contact with his family or his lawyers. “There has been no ability to find out anything about his health and well-being. We won’t give up until Kilmar has his due process rights respected."

Since March, El Salvador has accepted over 200 Venezuelan immigrants from the US.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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