Good work by Sen. Tim Kaine and his Democratic colleagues on this, standing up for the rule of law and “forc[ing] a vote on our legislation to put all Senators on record on requiring some accountability from this lawless Administration.” As Sen. Kaine explained in his speech:
“It’s actually a pretty simple bill about VERY basic concepts. Do you believe in the constitution or not? Do you believe in the rule of law – or not? Do you believe in due process – or not? Do you believe that final orders of the U.S. Supreme Court should be respected – or not?. Those are the questions at issue…Our president…has entered into an agreement, still shrouded in some secrecy, with the president of El Salvador, President Bukele, to deport American residents into El Salvador and imprison then in prisons in a country that has been charged by the U.S. and others with gross human rights violations. The Congress that is in charge of appropriating taxpayer dollars should want to know the circumstances of this imprisonment and whether U.S. law is being followed…This is about fighting lawlessness. The 14th amendment to the U.S. constitution, to which we all pledge fealty, is pretty straightforward – no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law; that was the clause that the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously interepreted to mandate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia…asked if he has to uphold the constitution, just within the last week, [Trump] said he does not know…Why would anyone in this body not want to get a human rights about the conditions of that confinement, particularly given the fact that Pres. Trump has indicated that he may intend next to send U.S. citizens into those same prisons?”
The Trump Admin is illegally disappearing people to mass torture centers in El Salvador without due process. I’m forcing a vote on my legislation to demand answers about Trump’s compliance with U.S. court orders and El Salvador’s human rights record. https://t.co/p7kUHP734s
— Senator Tim Kaine (@SenTimKaine) May 15, 2025
KAINE, VAN HOLLEN, SCHUMER & PADILLA ANNOUNCE TIMING FOR SENATE VOTE ON THEIR LEGISLATION TO DEMAND ANSWERS ON TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DEALINGS WITH EL SALVADOR
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and the lead Democrat on SFRC’s Western Hemisphere panel, together with U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), announced that the full Senate will vote this afternoon on their privileged legislation to demand answers on the Trump Administration’s compliance with court orders applicable to U.S. citizens or residents wrongfully deported to El Salvador and regarding El Salvador’s horrific human rights record.
“If President Trump is going to cut secret deals to send people to foreign prisons without due process, every Senator—and the public—needs to understand the details about those deportations, including the human rights record of the nation putting American residents behind bars. This information is critical at a time when the Trump Administration has admitted to wrongfully deporting people to El Salvador, and after Trump has said he’s also looking for ways to deport American citizens to the same terrible prisons. Today, we will force a vote on our legislation to put all Senators on record on requiring some accountability from this lawless Administration.”
Full text of the senators’ legislation is available here.
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