NASHVILLE, TN (AP/CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported from the United States to his native El Salvador and whose case became a flashpoint over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, has been moved from a Virginia detention center to a facility in Pennsylvania.
Court records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified Abrego Garcia’s lawyers Friday that he was transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Phillipsburg. It said the location would make it easier for them to access him.
However his attorneys raised concerns about conditions at Moshannon, saying there have been recent reports of “assaults, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food,” according to a federal court filing.
The Trump administration has claimed that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an allegation that he denies and for which he was not charged.
The administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. in June, but only to face human smuggling charges. His lawyers have called the case preposterous and vindictive.
He has been held in detention since he was briefly released in August and detained again a few days later while reporting to an ICE appointment in Baltimore.
His attorneys at the time were concerned he might be moved to detention in Uganda, but a federal judge got assurances from Homeland Security he would remain where he could have access to attorneys, and within 200 miles of hearings in Baltimore.
ICE has two detention facilities in Virginia, near Farmville and in Bowling Green, but did not reveal in which facility Abrego Garcia was held.
Click here for the full story of his detainment in Virginia.
This story is a combination of The Associated Press and CvilleRightNow.
