MIAMI (AP) — A former Central American general has acknowledged responsibility for military abuses against civilians during El Salvador's civil war.

Questioned by an immigration judge Wednesday in Miami, Jose Guillermo Garcia said he did everything in his power to stop human rights violations but did not succeed because of divisions within the armed forces.

Diverging right and leftist political factions in the military created a conflict that Garcia said made it difficult to control what was happening.

The U.S. is seeking Garcia's deportation under a 2004 law that aims to stop human rights abusers from taking refuge in the U.S.

More than 75,000 people were killed and 8,000 left missing during El Salvador's civil war between 1980 and 1992.