THE ESSENTIAL MYSTERY OF THE KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA CASE. After all the talking and arguing about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the illegal border-crosser and alleged gang member deported by the United States and now imprisoned in El Salvador, there is still a fundamental unanswered question about the case: Why is he imprisoned in El Salvador?

“We deport many people to El Salvador,” Art Arthur, a longtime immigration judge who now studies the subject for the Center for Immigration Studies, notes. “Generally, they arrive at the airport, walk out, and live their lives. Why is Abrego Garcia in prison?”