Shumita Basu

And in a court filing yesterday, the DOJ said if Abrego Garcia manages to return to the U.S., he will be detained and removed from the country. Frustrated with the administration's response so far, some Democratic lawmakers say they're planning to travel to El Salvador.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen says he'll travel there today and hopes to visit Abrego Garcia at the mega prison Cicat, where he's being held, and, quote, check on his well-being. In this prison, Abrego Garcia and more than 235 other men who were deported by the Trump administration against a judge's order last month are being held in the same conditions as convicted gangsters.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen says he'll travel there today and hopes to visit Abrego Garcia at the mega prison Cicat, where he's being held, and, quote, check on his well-being. In this prison, Abrego Garcia and more than 235 other men who were deported by the Trump administration against a judge's order last month are being held in the same conditions as convicted gangsters.

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen says he'll travel there today and hopes to visit Abrego Garcia at the mega prison Cicat, where he's being held, and, quote, check on his well-being. In this prison, Abrego Garcia and more than 235 other men who were deported by the Trump administration against a judge's order last month are being held in the same conditions as convicted gangsters.

That's what Secott's prison director recently told CNN. And I'll remind you, Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. or in El Salvador. When 60 Minutes investigated the criminal records of this group at large, it found no criminal records for 75 percent of them.

That's what Secott's prison director recently told CNN. And I'll remind you, Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. or in El Salvador. When 60 Minutes investigated the criminal records of this group at large, it found no criminal records for 75 percent of them.

That's what Secott's prison director recently told CNN. And I'll remind you, Abrego Garcia has no criminal record in the U.S. or in El Salvador. When 60 Minutes investigated the criminal records of this group at large, it found no criminal records for 75 percent of them.

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

And he says that judicial black hole and the Salvadoran government's insistence that no detainees at CICOT will be released makes it practically impossible to help people who aren't supposed to be there.