US Senator Chris Van Hollen disclosed that Kilmar Ábrego García, who Trump administration mistakenly deported to El Salvador has been moved to a new prison.

The Democratic senator spoke after returning from El Salvador saying García was “traumatised” and fearful of other prisoners while inside the facility, he disclosed that he was moved to another facility in the country over a week ago.

The Supreme Court has ordered the government to “facilitate” his return, however Trump officials have continued to push back against the order.

The White House accuses him of being a member of the transnational Salvadoran gang MS-13, a designated foreign terrorist organisation, and has said he will not return to the US.

However García attorneys deny his been convicted of a crime or a member of MS-13.

Chris Van Hollen said he was initially blocked from meeting Mr Ábrego García by Salvadoran authorities. Later, he said government officials helped facilitate a meeting and the Maryland man was brought to the senator’s hotel.

“His conversation with me was the first communication that he had with anybody outside of prison since he was abducted,” Van Hollen said.

“He said he felt very sad about being in a prison because he had not committed any crimes.”

Van Hollen added that conditions in the new prison, in the Salvadoran city of Santa Ana, were better.

“He still has no access to any news from the outside world and no ability to communicate with anybody in the outside world,” Van Hollen said.

García’s case is part of a simmering showdown between the Trump administration and the US courts system on the issue of immigration.

A separate feud has been brewing after a judge said he could hold the Trump administration in contempt for its “wilful disregard” of his order barring deportation flights.

Multiple judges – including a unanimous US Supreme Court ruling – said the government should facilitate Mr Ábrego García’s return to the US. But the White House has insisted the Maryland man will “never” live in the US again.

“If he ever ends up back in the United States, he would immediately be deported again,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House Mr Ábrego García was “not a very innocent guy”.

The president has evoked the law to deport hundreds so far, by arguing the alleged gang members were terrorists.

Sen Van Hollen said the Trump administration wants to “flat out lie about what this case is about”.

“If you want to make claims about Ábrego García, you should present them in the courts, not on social media,” he said.

Mr Ábrego García was arrested by immigration authorities on 12 March in Baltimore, before being deported from Texas to El Salvador on 15 March.