Democratic Senators Demand Answers on U.S.-Backed Disappearances to El Salvador Mega-Prison

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate will vote on a privileged resolution demanding accountability for the Trump administration’s indiscriminate deportation campaign that has already disappeared hundreds of individuals into El Salvador’s dangerous prison system. Introduced by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Alex Padilla (D-CA), the resolution requires the administration to submit a detailed report on its compliance with court orders, whether U.S. security assistance has supported these deportations, and the human rights situation in El Salvador—including conditions inside the notorious CECOT mega-prison. If the administration fails to comply within 30 days, all U.S. security aid to El Salvador will be cut off by law.

The administration has already admitted to wrongfully detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia—yet continues to stonewall both the courts and the public demanding his release. Others, like Andry Hernandez Romero and Jerce Barrios, remain unaccounted for, with no updates on their condition or whereabouts. As Congress prepares to approve another $150 billion to supercharge the administration’s disappearance infrastructure, Democratic senators are sounding the alarm on the erosion of due process and the rise of authoritarian tactics.

Statement from Kerri Talbot, Co-Executive Director of the Immigration Hub:

“This resolution is a vital check on Trump’s chaotic power grab and the normalization of government-sanctioned disappearances. The American public has a right to know whether our tax dollars are being used to fund torture, indefinite detention, and the disappearance of our own neighbors to foreign prisons.

We’ve already seen what happens when this administration defies court orders: hardworking people like Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Andry Hernandez Romero are vanished into black-site prisons with no legal recourse. This resolution forces a moment of truth. Either the administration comes clean—or Congress cuts off the funding stream enabling these abuses.

We commend Senators Kaine, Van Hollen, Schumer, and Padilla for standing up to authoritarian tactics and standing with the communities fighting to bring our people home.”

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.