Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) introduced a Resolution of Inquiry (ROI), a procedural tool that directs the Trump Administration to provide Congress with all records – created on or after January 20th, 2025 – relating to the removal of United States individuals to El Salvador. The President is requested, and the Secretary of State is directed, to transmit these records, including agreements, funding and legal justifications, to the U.S. House of Representatives no later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution.
“The Trump Administration has provided no legal and legitimate justification for the unfounded deportation of individuals to El Salvador’s most brutal gulags. Kilmar Abrego Garcia 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 Garcia and other individuals. Now, they are setting in motion the deportation of U.S. citizens without cause.
“Every government official who serves our country makes a commitment to uphold the rule of law. Donald Trump and his Administration have disgraced our Constitution – slashing due process and every legal tenet that holds our democracy together. Each day they go unchecked is another day our democracy and our rights are assaulted.
“Any government official propagating this disaster is breaking the law. 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 Garcia and others are brought home.”
Background:
A resolution of inquiry (ROI) is a simple resolution that makes a direct request or demand of the President or the head of an executive department to furnish the House with specific information and documentation in the Administration’s possession to justify any action taken by the Administration.
Congressman Castro’s ROI demands that the President transmit to the U.S. House of Representatives no later than 14 days after the adoption of this resolution, copies of all:
- Documents, charts, or tables, including notes from meetings, audio recordings, all email and telephone records, correspondence, and AI large language model conversation transcripts related to the deportation of individuals to El Salvador;
- Agreements or arrangements made with the Government of El Salvador regarding the removal of individuals from the United States to El Salvador and the detention of those individuals by the Government of El Salvador, including on behalf of the United States;
- Funding provided by the United States to the Government of El Salvador to support the detention of individuals;
- And legal justification for such agreements.
A PDF of the resolution can be found here.
