The Trump administration alleges that Mr Ábrego García is a "verified" member of the violent El Salvador gang MS-13.

Mr Ábrego Garcia was arrested outside a Home Depot in Maryland while looking for work in 2019. The allegations against him cited by the Trump administration appear to stem from two documents that were filed by the government during that case.

Officials argued that Mr Ábrego García was a member of an MS-13 gang in New York based on his clothes - which included Chicago Bulls merchandise - and the word of an unknown informant.

His attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg rebuffed those claims and has questioned how Mr Ábrego García's clothes could prove gang affiliation.

The lawyer has also cast doubt on the reliability of the unidentified informant. He said Mr Ábrego García has not lived in New York.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary said the El Salvador national was wearing "a sweatshirt with rolls of money covering the ears, mouth and eyes of presidents", which she said is a "known MS-13 gang symbol".

She said he was arrested alongside two other members of the gang, and that "two separate judges found Ábrego García was a member of MS-13".