A state department court filing gave the update on Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to El Salvador on March 15 despite an order protecting him from deportation, after US district judge Paula Xinis made the demand for daily updates yesterday.

The filing from Michael Kozak, of the state department’s bureau of western hemisphere affairs, did not, however, say what steps the government was taking to bring Abrego Garcia home, as Xinis had also demanded.

“I am aware that the instant lawsuit has been filed seeking the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the US from El Salvador,” Kozak’s filing said.

“It is my understanding based on official reporting from our embassy in San Salvador that Abrego Garcia is currently being held in the terrorism confinement centre in El Salvador,” it said.

“He is alive and secure in that facility. He is detained pursuant to the sovereign, domestic authority of El Salvador.”

Xinis issued her demand a day after the US Supreme Court upheld an order from her directing the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” Abrego Garcia’s return.

However, the Supreme Court said the term “effectuate” was unclear and might exceed judge’s authority.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who was living in Maryland and has had a work permit since 2019, was deported by mistake.

But it has said it cannot immediately bring him back and that diplomatic relations cannot operate at the speed with which the courts are demanding.

Trump is due to meet El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House tomorrow.

Trump told reporters on Friday his administration would bring Abrego Garcia back if the Supreme Court directed it to.

Asked on Friday if Trump would seek the return of Abrego Garcia when he meets Bukele, White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt said the Supreme Court ruling made clear the administration’s responsibility was to “facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, not to effectuate the return”.

Trump said today he was looking forward to meeting Bukele and praised him for taking “enemy aliens” from the US.

He said the two countries were working closely to “eradicate terrorist organisations”.

“These barbarians are now in the sole custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign Nation, and their future is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!” Trump wrote.