Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen met on Thursday with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to El Salvador in a case that has pitted a defiant Trump administration against the courts and fanned the prospect of a constitutional conflict.

The senator posted on X an image of himself in El Salvador with Abrego Garcia, dressed in a collared shirt, jeans and a baseball cap, a day after being denied access to the notorious prison for gang members where he has been held.

"I said my main goal of this trip (to El Salvador) was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance," the senator wrote in his post, but giving no indication of Abrego Garcia's health or state of mind. "I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love," Van Hollen added. "I look forward to providing a full update upon my return."

The US Supreme Court has directed the administration of President Trump to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return after US acknowledged he was deported because of an error.