Senate Democrats plan to force a vote on resolution for transparency on
deportations to El Salvador
[May 01, 2025]
By MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats plan to force a vote in the coming
weeks on a resolution to require more transparency from President Donald
Trump’s administration about deportations to El Salvador.
The resolution, which Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine expects to introduce on
Thursday, comes after two votes on Democratic resolutions challenging
Trump's tariffs. It is part of a larger strategy by Democrats to
continue using mechanisms under the law to take floor time from majority
Republicans and vote on reversing parts of Trump’s agenda.
“These votes are all about curbing executive power,” said Kaine, who was
also a lead sponsor on the two tariff bills. “That is a unifying theme.”
The new resolution would force Trump's Republican administration to
report to Congress about what steps it is taking to comply with courts
that have determined the U.S. government wrongfully deported immigrants
to El Salvador. Democrats have highlighted the case of Kilmar Abrego
Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to the Central American country and
who a Maryland judge has said should be returned to the U.S.
Kaine said that Democrats want to put Republicans on record on that case
and others while also pressuring the government of El Salvador, which is
working with the Trump administration. The resolution would also require
the Trump administration to reveal more information about money paid to
El Salvador and assess the country’s human rights record. Leaders in El
Salvador will have to deal with the United States long past Trump’s
tenure, Kaine said, and “we’re going to have a very long memory about
this.”
Democrats have been under pressure from base voters to use their limited
powers in the minority to fight Trump on all fronts. While the
resolution is unlikely to get a vote in the House even if it passes the
Senate, Democrats say it is about bringing attention to issues and
forcing Republicans to go on record where they are reluctant to speak
out publicly against Trump.
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“We have limited tools, but this is an effective tool,” said
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is backing the resolution and
visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador two weeks ago.
Democrats have already forced a handful of votes on the Senate
floor, including the two tariff votes last month. The Senate in
early April passed a resolution that would have have thwarted
Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada, but Republicans this
week narrowly blocked a similar resolution that would have stalled
Trump’s global tariffs announced several weeks ago. Four Republicans
voted with Democrats on the first tariff measure, and three
Republicans voted with them on the second resolution.
The Democrats are forcing the votes under different statutes that
allow so-called “privileged” resolutions — legislation that must be
brought up for a vote whether majority leadership wants to or not.
The resolution being introduced Thursday is under the Foreign
Assistance Act, which allows any senator to force a vote to request
information on a country’s human rights practices.
Senate Republicans pulled similar maneuvers during President Joe
Biden’s administration under the Congressional Review Act, which
allows lawmakers to force votes on rescinding regulations.
It is unclear if any Republicans would vote with Democrats on the El
Salvador resolution. Most Republicans have enthusiastically embraced
Trump's border policies, even if some are wary of the
administration's defiance of court orders and as some Americans
think Trump has gone too far.
While symbolic, Kaine said he hopes the votes on the resolutions
will force Republicans to feel pressure — and potentially slow down
future actions by Trump.
“It’s a way of shining a spotlight on this issue,” Kaine said.
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