Kaine to Force Up to Six Votes Demanding Human Rights Reports After Trump’s Cruel Deportation of Immigrants to Random Countries

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), announced his filing of legislation to force up to six votes to require the Trump Administration to produce assessments of the human rights situations in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini, following reports that the Trump Administration deported immigrants who are not from those countries to those places. The legislation would require the reports to describe the treatment of the people that the U.S. deported to those countries to which they have no ties, including risk of torture; actions the Administration is taking to ensure compliance with any court orders to facilitate the return of individuals wrongfully removed from the U.S.; and any analysis done by the Administration prior to making determinations to send immigrants to these countries.

“If President Trump is going to send immigrants to random countries they are not from—without congressional consent—we have a right to understand the situation on the ground in the places they are being expelled to using American taxpayer dollars,” said Kaine. “I’m forcing debates and up to six votes in the Senate to give each of my colleagues the opportunity to affirm that principle and reclaim our power as a co-equal branch of government as outlined in the Constitution.”

The legislation is privileged under the Foreign Assistance Act, meaning Kaine can force the Senate to debate and vote on each of the measures. Kaine previously teamed up with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) to force a vote in the Senate to require a human rights report regarding El Salvador. The move came after President Trump threatened to imprison U.S. citizens there.

Included here are the full texts of the legislation regarding Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini.

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