U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has filed a resolution that, if passed by the U.S. House, would require the Trump administration to turn over all records about its deportations of migrants to prisons in El Salvador.
The San Antonio Democrat’s inquiry comes as the White House wages a legal battle to avoid returning Kilmar Abrego García, a 29-year-old migrant it mistakenly deported to a maximum-security lockup in El Salvador. The case continues to make international headlines, deepening concerns about a constitutional crisis as the administration ignores court orders to return the Salvadoran native.
“The Trump Administration has provided no legal and legitimate justification for the unfounded deportation of individuals to El Salvador’s most brutal gulags,” Castro said in an emailed statement. “Kilmar Abrego García and others are rotting in the bowels of these barbaric prisons despite irrefutable court orders — from the Supreme Court down — that have instructed the return of Mr. Abrego García and other individuals. Now, they are setting in motion the deportation of U.S. citizens without cause.”
With Republicans holding a seven-seat majority in the House, it’s unclear whether Castro’s resolution will gain traction. Despite a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll showing Trump’s approval underwater on how he’s handing immigration, the GOP appears eager to defend the controversial deportations.
The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed that the migrants it expelled to El Salvadoran prisons are members of gangs it’s designated terrorist organizations, although a recent 60 Minutes investigation found that the “overwhelming majority” had no apparent criminal convictions.
Under Resolutions of Inquiry such as the one Castro filed, a president is requested and a secretary of state is directed to transmit requested records to the U.S. House within 14 days after the resolution’s adoption.
“Any government official propagating this disaster is breaking the law,” Castro said. “I am demanding that the President, the Secretary of State, and other officials involved transmit all records — from agreements made with the Government of El Salvador, to funding provided by the United States, to salient documents and communications — that justify these unconstitutional actions. We will not stop until the Administration is held accountable and Mr. Abrego García and others are brought home.”
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This article appears in Apr 16-29, 2025.
