1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

CONGRESS MUST INVESTIGATE DEPORTATION PRACTICES THAT MAY HAVE BYPASSED LEGAL LIMITS As your constituent, I urge Congressional oversight of deportation practices that may have bypassed court orders, due process, and statutory limits. This is not an objection to lawful deportation. It is a demand for accountability where deportations may have proceeded before cases were decided, asylum seekers were expelled without screening, people were coerced into so-called voluntary departure, or removals went forward despite serious court-compliance questions. In March 2026, Human Rights First identified at least 225 removal flights to 46 countries and 1,794 total immigration enforcement flights. THIRD-COUNTRY TRANSFERS REQUIRE IMMEDIATE LEGAL REVIEW Human Rights First identified March flights carrying third-country nationals to Moldova, Uzbekistan, Eswatini, and Poland. These were people transferred to countries other than their own, often with no meaningful ties to those countries. The report states that these transfers are being challenged in federal court because individuals received no meaningful notice or real opportunity to object based on fear of persecution. OFFSHORE DETENTION CANNOT BE USED TO WEAKEN LEGAL SAFEGUARDS The report states that since February 2025 the administration has conducted at least 103 flights to Guantanamo Bay and used the base as a transfer hub. The issue is not the flights themselves. It is the reported use of an offshore system that can make timely legal challenge harder for detainees, lawyers, families, and courts. POSSIBLE NONCOMPLIANCE WITH COURT ORDERS REQUIRES FACTUAL FINDINGS NOW The report identifies a March removal flight to Myanmar after a U.S. district judge ordered DHS to postpone terminating Temporary Protected Status for Myanmar nationals. Congress should determine whether protected individuals were removed and whether the executive branch complied with the order. CONGRESS MUST DEFEND BOTH THE RULE OF LAW AND ITS OWN AUTHORITY If executive officials remove people without required procedures, transfer them without meaningful notice, or rely on legally contested practices shielded from timely review, then court orders, due process, and statutory limits risk becoming optional in practice. Oversight is one of Congress’s core powers. If the executive branch can rely on secrecy, opaque transfer arrangements, or disputed legal theories without answering to Congress, then Congressional authority is weakened and the rule of law is diminished. Congress has a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund legally questionable practices. These reported operations warrant review to determine their cost and whether they comply with statutory limits and appropriations authority. At a minimum, Congressional review should examine removals without completed proceedings, expulsions without asylum screening, third-country transfer agreements, offshore detention practices, access to counsel, and compliance with court orders. CONGRESS MUST TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO ENFORCE LEGAL LIMITS For these reasons, I urge you to: (1) Publicly state that immigration enforcement must comply with court orders, due process, and statutory limits, and condemn practices that do not. (2) Press for hearings with subpoenas, sworn testimony, and full document production. (3) Support legislation barring unlawful third-country transfers and restricting offshore detention that evades due process. (4) Establish enforceable penalties for unlawful conduct. Thank you.