Trump Admin Now Says Deportation Of Abrego Garcia Was a 'One-Off Mistake' Despite Previously Claiming It Was Deliberate

The Trump administration is now saying the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador was a "one-off mistake that the government conceded was an administrative error," a stance that stands contrast with previous statements made by officials.

The statement was made in the latest installment of the legal fight between Abrego Garcia and the Trump administration. The Maryland man is suing the administration over his wrongful deportation, while the government has filed human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia.

In another passage of its filing, the administration said that the removal of Abrego Garcia "was an isolated mistake; there is no pattern or practice of removing individuals granted withholding of removal to their home country."

Politico's Sr. legal affairs reporter, Josh Gerstein, noted that in April White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Abrego Garcia "was not mistakenly sent to El Salvador." "This was the right person sent to the right place," he added.

Abrego Garcia has detailed the ordeal he went through while at the country's infamous CECOT prison, including being ordered to kneel for nine hours straight and prevented from going to the bathroom.

The experience was including in another legal filing before a Maryland federal court. It detailed that, during his three-week-long detention at the CECOT prison, Abrego Garcia endured "severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture." He added that he lost over 30 pounds during that period.

Upon arrival, he said, detainees were greeted by an official who said "welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn't leave." He was then "forced to strip, issued prison clothing, and subjected to physical abuse including being kicked in the legs with boots and struck on his head and arms to make him change clothes faster."

"His head was shaved with a zero razor, and he was frog-marched to cell 15, being struck with wooden batons along the way," adds a passage of the filing. "In Cell 15, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia and 20 other Salvadorans were forced to kneel from approximately 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM, with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion. During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself."

The man was flown back to the U.S. in early June after his case dominated headlines for weeks as the Trump administration failed to comply with a judge's ruling ordering his return. Upon return he was charged with human smuggling in Tennessee, and his lawyers have expressed concern he could be deported again, especially as officials from the Trump administration have anticipated their intention to do so.