U.S. senators introduce legislation that would require Trump administration to report on deportations to El Salvador
A group of Democratic U.S. senators introduced legislation Thursday that would require the Trump administration to share reports on the steps they are taking to comply with court orders surrounding deportations to El Salvador.
The legislation was introduced as a legal fight plays out over Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man who was deported to a prison in El Salvador in March. The Trump administration has admitted that Abrego Garcia's deportation was due to an administrative error.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic U.S. Senators introduced the legislation. It would also require an assessment of El Salvador's human rights record and require the Trump administration to confirm if U.S. funds are being used to support the detention of U.S. residents.
Senators demand answers on deportations to El Salvador
Abrego Garcia was one of about 200 migrants who were put on a plane and flown to a notorious Salvadoran prison in March.
According to CBS News, the country's president, Nayib Bukele, offered to take the alleged terrorist gang members. The Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act, a World War II-era law, to send them.
The deal between El Salvador and U.S. leaders has caused concern for some lawmakers.
Sen. Van Hollen has pointed to the deal several times as he continues to call for Abrego Garcia to be returned to the U.S.
During his visit to El Salvador last month, Van Hollen said Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa revealed that Abrego Garcia was still detained because the U.S. is paying El Salvador to keep him.
"...the Government of El Salvador is holding him solely at the request of your Administration and, specifically, because you are paying them to imprison him," Van Hollen wrote in a letter to President Trump.
Under the proposed legislation, any security assistance from the U.S. to El Salvador would be prohibited if the Trump administration fails to share reports about deportations.
The legislation was introduced under the Foreign Assistance Act, which requires the Senate to vote on it, the senators said.
"The American people deserve answers on this clear defiance of our nation's constitutional rights and the extent of El Salvador's complicity in this scheme, as well as its human rights abuses," Van Hollen said in a statement Thursday.
Latest in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Since Abrego Garcia's wrongful deportation in March, the Trump administration has been ordered by a federal judge and the Supreme Court to facilitate his return to the U.S.
Abrego Garcia had obtained a "withholding of removal" order from a U.S. immigration judge in 2019, which should have protected him from being deported to his native country.
On April 30, a federal judge denied the Trump administration's request for more time to provide information about Abrego Garcia's deportation and how they are facilitating his return to the U.S.
Judge Paula Xinis has continued to demand answers and compliance from the administration.
Following one of several hearings in this case, Xinis noted that the administration was showing "willful and bad faith refusal to comply" with certain obligations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Golden Share' in U.S. Steel Gives Trump Extraordinary Control
To save its takeover of U.S. Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel agreed to an unusual arrangement, granting the White House a 'golden share' that gives the government an extraordinary amount of influence over a U.S. company. New details of the agreement show that the structure would give President Trump and his successors a permanent stake in U.S. Steel, significant sway over its board and veto power over a wide array of company actions, an arrangement that could change the nature of foreign investment in the United States. The terms of the arrangement were hammered out in meetings that went late into the night on Wednesday and Thursday, according to two people familiar with the details. Representatives from Nippon Steel — which had been trying to acquire the struggling U.S. Steel since December 2023, but had been blocked by the Biden administration over national security concerns — came around to Mr. Trump's desire to take a stake that would give the U.S. government significant control over the company's actions. Nippon had argued that this influence should expire — perhaps after three or four years, the duration of the Trump administration. But in the meetings, which were held at the Commerce Department, Trump officials led by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that the golden share should last in perpetuity, the two people said. Under the terms of the national security pact, which the companies said they signed Friday, the U.S. government would retain a single share of preferred stock, called class G — as in gold. And U.S. Steel's charter will list nearly a dozen activities the company cannot undertake without the approval of the American president or someone he designates in his stead. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Trump has not called Walz following shooting of Minnesota lawmakers
President Trump has not called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz more than 24 hours after a prominent Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were killed in what officials have described as a "politically motivated assassination." The big picture: Saturday's fatal shooting of Minnesota House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman has exacerbated bipartisan security concerns among elected officials amid a volatile political landscape. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman were injured in a separate shooting at their home on Saturday. What we're hearing: Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann confirmed to Axios that the governor had not heard from the president directly as of early Sunday afternoon. Walz spoke to both Vice President Vance and former President Biden on Saturday, Tschann said. The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. What he's saying: When asked by ABC News Sunday morning whether he planned to reach out to the Democratic governor, the president criticized Walz but left the door open to a conversation. "Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too," he told ABC's Rachel Scott. On Saturday, Trump condemned the shooting as "horrific," saying such violence "will not be tolerated in the United States of America." Context: Law enforcement say 57-year-old Vance Boelter posed as a police officer when he killed Hortman and her husband in their suburban Twin Cities home early Saturday. Boelter is also wanted in connection with a separate shooting that wounded Hoffman and his wife. He remained on the run as of midday Sunday. Investigators recovered a manifesto featuring a target list that included the names of Democratic lawmakers and prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota. Zoom out: While Trump has not reached out personally, the state is receiving assistance and support from the administration. The FBI, which is on the ground in Minnesota, has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's capture and conviction. Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the "horrific violence" in a post on X Saturday, pledging to prosecute "to the fullest extent of the law."
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Starmer Confident Aukus Pact Will Proceed Despite Trump Review
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he has no doubts that the Aukus defense pact with the US and Australia will continue despite President Donald Trump's review of the initiative. The Pentagon last week launched a review of the Joe Biden-era deal to develop nuclear-powered submarines with Australia and the UK, as part of Trump's push for allies to take more responsibility for their own defense and ensure the US has enough warships of its own. The pact was signed in 2021 to counter China's military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.
