A resolution requesting information on the United Mexican States' human rights practices pursuant to section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
This is a Senate resolution (S. Res. 356) introduced in the 119th Congress that uses a reporting authority under section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. It directs the Secretary of State, within 30 days of adoption, to provide a detailed statement to Congress (in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Department’s Office of the Legal Adviser) about Mexico’s human rights practices. The report is to cover credible information on alleged rights abuses by the Government of Mexico, actions the United States has taken to promote human rights, and additional information related to U.S. security assistance, the treatment of non-citizens moved to Mexico by the U.S., and related diplomatic engagements and arrangements. The purpose is to inform Congress about Mexico’s human rights situation and to assess how U.S. policy and security aid may interact with those conditions. This resolution is a nonbinding oversight tool. It does not itself change U.S. law or authorize new aid programs, but the information gathered could influence Congress’s oversight and potential policy or funding decisions regarding U.S. security assistance to Mexico.
Key Points
- 1The resolution requests a formal statement under section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act, prepared by the Secretary of State in coordination with relevant State Department offices, to be delivered to Congress within 30 days of adoption.
- 2The statement must cover: (a) credible information on alleged human rights violations by the Government of Mexico, including abuses involving non-citizens who have been removed to Mexico by the United States, and (b) due process concerns for non-citizens removed to Mexico.
- 3It requires a description of the United States’ steps to promote human rights in Mexico, discourage abuses, publicly/private disassociation from abusive practices, and pre-removal assessments of how Mexico would treat non-citizens removed by the U.S.
- 4It requests extensive “other information,” including: assessments of how U.S. security assistance could be used to support abuses; analyses of conditions facing non-citizens in Mexico; reviews of detention facilities; actions to ensure returns align with U.S. court orders; protections against detention or torture of such individuals; measures to shield people in U.S. jurisdiction from unlawful removal; details of U.S.–Mexico agreements or financial transactions related to removal/trafficking/detention; data on individuals sent to Mexico in 2025; and summaries of 2025 meetings between Mexican and U.S. officials.
- 5The scope explicitly includes information about assurances sought or received regarding treatment of removed individuals and potential further renditions or transfers to other countries.