Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of State to transmit to the House of Representatives any record created on or after January 20, 2025, under the control of the President or the Secretary, respectively, relating to international agreements between the United States of America and El Salvador and the removal of individuals from the United States to El Salvador and subsequent detentions of such individuals.
H. Res. 357, introduced by Representative Castro (TX) in the 119th Congress, is a non-binding resolution of inquiry. It directs the President and the Secretary of State to hand over to the House of Representatives any records created on or after January 20, 2025 that relate to international agreements between the United States and El Salvador and to the removal of individuals from the United States to El Salvador and their subsequent detention by the Salvadoran government (or on behalf of the United States). The President and Secretary are required to deliver copies of all such documents within 14 days after the resolution’s adoption, covering a broad array of record types and topics. The scope covers not only formal agreements but also nonbinding instruments, trips and visits involving U.S. and Salvadoran officials, and details about removals and detentions, including related funding and legal analyses. It explicitly seeks records about specific topics (e.g., trips by Secretary of State Rubio, President Bukele’s White House visit) and requests materials such as meeting notes, emails, phone records, transcripts (including AI-assisted conversations), and other communications. The resolution aims to increase congressional oversight and transparency regarding U.S.-El Salvador agreements and related detention activities, as well as the legal rationale and funding behind them.
Key Points
- 1Purpose and scope: A non-binding resolution of inquiry requesting records created on or after January 20, 2025, related to U.S.-El Salvador international agreements and the removal/detention of individuals to El Salvador.
- 2Transmission requirement: The President and the Secretary of State must provide copies of all relevant documents to the House within 14 days after adoption of the resolution.
- 3Broad record types: Includes documents, charts, or tables; meeting notes; audio recordings; emails; correspondence; notes from meetings; and even artificial intelligence large language model conversation transcripts and other communications.
- 4Covered topics:
- 5- Any U.S.-El Salvador agreements or arrangements (including nonbinding instruments);
- 6- Information related to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s February 2025 trip to El Salvador (preparation materials, transcripts, notes);
- 7- Information related to President Bukele’s April 14, 2025 White House visit (preparation materials, transcripts, notes);
- 8- Information on the removal of individuals from the U.S. to El Salvador and their detention by the Salvadoran government (including actions taken on behalf of the United States);
- 9- U.S. funding to El Salvador intended to support detention, including funding accounts, transfers, and obligations.
- 10Legal analyses sought: Legal analyses or justifications for the agreements and for funding to support detention, including whether such obligations or agreements fall under the Case-Zablocki Act and related amendments (PL 117-263), and whether funding requires congressional notification.