The planes took off in defiance of a court order. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was one of hundreds of migrants deported to El Salvador without due process. They were held incommunicado for months in CECOT, notorious for its overcrowding, abuse, torture and cruelty. The US government was paying El Salvador to keep them there.

News Story: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/kilmar-abrego-appears-court-following-release-ice-detention-2025-12-22/