Angel Families Share Their Heartbreaking Stories Before The House Judiciary Committee

[0:00] Committee on Oversight. The women sitting in front of us today, you shouldn't have to [0:06] be here. You shouldn't have to have a hearing on this topic. And what you should have, and [0:15] we can't do, is to have your children back. But the systems of governing across this country [0:22] have failed you. So you're here. And damn it, we're going to listen to you. Folks have [0:30] said on the other side sometimes a lot of things in defense of sanctuary city policies. [0:37] And I say tell that to Laura Wilkerson, whose 18-year-old son Joshua was murdered, was murdered [0:43] by an illegal alien from Belize. He was beaten with a wooden rod. His hands and feet were [0:51] bound. His body was set on fire. And I'm sorry, I even have to say this. And he was left in [0:58] a field. Joshua gave his killer a ride home from school that day. That was Joshua's crime. [1:07] That's the kind of kid that he was. Tell it to Patricia Fox, whose daughter Carissa was [1:12] riding on the back of a motorcycle when an illegal alien with no license and no insurance [1:20] caught across three lanes of traffic and hit her. And then he fled the scene and left her [1:28] for dead. Tell that to Jen Hyling, whose son Brady, 19 years old, a football and track athlete, [1:35] who had turned down college scholarships just to stay close to his family and his girlfriend, [1:40] was killed, was murdered when a drunk illegal alien drove the wrong way on an interstate [1:48] at a blood alcohol level just about three times the legal limit. So go ahead. Tell them sanctuary [1:55] policies make communities safer. Look them in the eye and say that. Tell them that blindly [2:03] letting in millions of unknown people into this country makes us safer. It doesn't. We know it. [2:11] It doesn't. And I know all of you know it. Yet here we are. This is a direct documented undeniable [2:20] line between the policy choices that have directly led to the deaths of innocent Americans. In New York, [2:29] fairly to honor ICE detainers resulted in the release of 6,947 criminal illegal aliens, criminal illegal [2:38] aliens, almost 7,000 with crimes ranging from 29 homicides, 2,500 assaults, 200 burglaries, 300 robberies, [2:50] 400 dangerous drug offenses, 300 weapons offenses, and 200 sexual predatory offenses. In Illinois, [3:00] they had the man who shot and killed Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman, walk in a park with [3:06] her friends in custody. But they let him go. And we know, because this committee obtained the border [3:14] patrol documents, when Jose Medina crossed into this country, he made no asylum claim, and agents [3:21] determined he was unlikely to run away. And look what he did. And the Biden administration released [3:28] him anyway, into our communities, onto our streets, into the park where Sheridan Gorman was walking with [3:35] her friends. These same sanctuary policies protected the man who killed Katie Abraham, an Ohio University [3:43] student who was sitting at a car, stopped at a red light, when a drunk, illegal alien who had already [3:52] been deported once before, slammed into her at 78 miles an hour, and left the scene. He was driving on [4:01] a fake identity, with fake documents, under a fake name. He had gone to three different bars that night. [4:09] Sanctuary policies protected the man who killed Richard Williams, his seniors too, an 83-year-old veteran, [4:17] an Air Force veteran, who was standing on a subway platform, not bothering anybody, who served his country. [4:23] When Mr. Hernandez, a Honduran national who had been deported from this country four times with 15 [4:31] prior criminal charges. Fifteen! How many times does it take for us to learn? He came up behind him and he [4:40] shoved him on the tracks. They call these policies sanctuary to make them sound nice. I want to let [4:48] you know what I call it. I call it negligence. I call it a dereliction of our duty to protect the American [4:54] people that we serve. When your policies repeatedly release dangerous criminals who go on to kill [5:01] innocent Americans over and over again, and you do it knowingly, and I don't mean to be harsh, [5:08] but the only thing, the only word I can think of is murder. An ICE detainer doesn't ask for much. [5:14] Hold a person who has committed a crime for 48 hours so federal agents can take them into custody. Two [5:21] days. That's all he asked. And these governors and these mayors and these officials were all sitting in [5:28] our comfortable offices and our ivory towers continuing to ignore the duty and ignore the [5:35] safety of their constituents and it continues to lead to one tragedy after another. We have had too many [5:42] different types of hearings on this and yet it continues. That's why I applaud all of you when we [5:48] talked in the back that you have the guts, that you have the strength, that you have the love in your [5:53] heart for those that you lost and the love in your heart to try to help other Americans, to try to change [6:00] the system. You asked me back there, do the good guys win? Not all the time, but damn it, it's worth the [6:09] effort and you got to try to win. This is worth the effort that you all are making. I mean it. I thank you. [6:17] That's why I call this hearing, not for shrewd arguments, not for talking points, not for [6:25] technicalities, not for all the legal words and the legalese. It's just a hearing for people. I [6:32] wanted to hear from real people. I didn't want to hear from, and we put plenty of attorneys up there [6:39] too, so I'm not being critical, Mr. Romanucci, but I wanted to hear from the American people who have been [6:45] hurt and want to make a difference. I called this hearing. I called it for Joshua. I called this [6:52] hearing for Carissa. I called this hearing for Brady. I called this healing for Haley, [6:58] for Sheridan and Katie and Richard and Stephanie. Do you want me to read all the names? I don't think [7:07] you do because it hurts. These are real people and they're real tragedies, real pain and real hurt. [7:16] And you know what? Condolences don't do it. Feeling sorry doesn't do it. The words don't do it. [7:22] Speech is like the speech I'm giving now. It can't suffice. It can't do it. And I don't want anybody [7:29] to sit here. I've heard people say, and I say this as a father and now the grandfather of two little ones, [7:36] don't say you know how you feel because we don't know how you feel. We will never pray to God know how [7:42] you feel. Nobody can unless you go through it. Nobody knows how you feel. So I'm going to ask all [7:51] of us today that sit up here on this dais and more will be coming in to look you all in the eyes and to [7:57] look at you directly and to listen to you. And I want all of us to hear for ourselves the failure [8:04] of sanctuary policies. I thank you. Now I'm going to recognize the ranking member, Ms. Crockett, [8:12] for an opening statement. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. And let me echo the condolences that he said [8:22] not to give. Regardless, as someone who I don't think will ever get comfortable with trying to [8:31] explain the unexplainable, specifically to parents, there is a due order that we all believe will exist, [8:40] especially when you bring your beautiful child into this world. And the one thing that no parent [8:50] ever anticipates is for that order to be disrupted. Prior to coming to Congress, [8:59] I was frustrated. I did a lot of the same work that Mr. Romanucci does. I had to face so many parents [9:10] that lost their children and shouldn't have, whether it was doing the civil rights work or [9:15] whether it was sometimes being the criminal defense attorney that would have to walk into court [9:23] and represent people and make sure that their due process rights were preserved because they had been [9:29] accused of killing somebody else. So I will say that I agree with the chairman when he says that [9:38] speeches cannot suffice. They never have, they never will. But I must say that our actions have to speak [9:48] louder than any words. And one of the reasons that I got into politics is because I felt like politicians [9:56] are very good at lip service. And frankly, this hearing is a hearing that we have had over and [10:05] over and over, where we've talked about sanctuary cities. And it frustrates me if I'm being perfectly [10:13] honest, because it doesn't lead to solutions. It feels like political gamesmanship. And the chairman is my [10:22] friend. But I always keep it as real as I can. So I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for being here [10:32] today. And let me be clear about something. Anyone who commits a crime, especially a violent crime, [10:39] should be fully held accountable, no matter their citizenship status, race, sex, how much money they [10:47] do or don't have, whether they went to school or not, or even if they're a government official. No one [10:56] should be above the law. I've listened to similar witnesses, um, give their accounts and their stories, [11:05] but specifically as relates to the witnesses that sit before us today. Um, I've read your written [11:12] testimony, and I agree with some of the specific things that have been said in your written testimony. [11:19] For example, Ms. Fox, that policies have consequences, and that public policy should not require a threshold [11:29] of victims before it's taken seriously. The only people in disagreement with this statement are [11:35] the Republicans on this committee. They've held multiple hearings on this topic, but still haven't [11:40] invited the families of anyone killed by ICE or who have died while in ISIS custody. More people died [11:48] in ISIS custody last year than any time in the 21st century, and Republicans still haven't invited any of [11:55] their families to testify before this committee. ICE and CBP have either shot or shot at at least 24 [12:03] people, including American citizens. Some have died. Others have been severely injured. A college [12:11] student even had to have their eye removed after being shot in the face. Republicans have not invited any [12:17] of their families to testify before this committee. As far as I know, Republicans have not even contacted [12:22] the families of those killed or harmed. What our witnesses went through is tragic, [12:27] devastating, and devastating. And their loved ones, you deserve justice. But I have to be clear [12:38] and say that their lives are not worth more nor less than, say, the life of Renee Good, or the life [12:46] of Alex Preddy, or the life of Ruben Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by ICE [12:52] in March of 2025, or the life of Miramar Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot five times by federal [12:59] agents. Now, Ms. Martinez miraculously survived, but to Ms. Fox's point, it quote, should not require [13:08] a threshold of victims before it is taken seriously. Just six months after federal agents [13:13] murdered Ruben Martinez, they tried to murder Miramar Martinez, but failed. Just two and a [13:19] half months later, federal agents killed Renee Good. Just 17 days after that, federal agents killed Alex [13:24] Preddy, and each time Republicans on this committee have blamed the victims. If they had only been [13:31] exercising their First Amendment rights, they'd be alive today. Or if Martinez hadn't, Ms. Martinez hadn't [13:40] panicked after federal agents ran up behind her, put an AR-15 to her head and said, quote, [13:46] do something, bitch. If she had just stayed calm, maybe she wouldn't have been shot five times. This [13:53] is what failed policy looks like. And these families deserve to have a voice when they're discussing [14:00] immigration enforcement policies in the United States. Republicans would rather parade families [14:05] experiencing tragedy around the halls of Congress for political purposes than to actually fix our broken [14:11] immigration system. In fact, I don't know how many people remember, but prior to [14:18] the presidential election, the House and the Senate had worked on legislation. And there was a candidate [14:26] that did not want us to take up the legislation because they wanted to campaign on a broken system. [14:33] The bad part about campaigning on broken systems is that they continue to allow for harm to be [14:40] permeated throughout the entirety of our country. And that's exactly what happened. And that's what's [14:45] happening right now. In fact, Republicans are ignoring all crime across the United States. They refuse to [14:51] enforce congressional subpoenas to advance the investigation into the Epstein pedophile ring. [14:56] They've been completely silent on the fact that Donald Trump issued unconditional pardons for January 6 [15:02] insurrectionists, many of whom were convicted on separate charges of rape, stalking, child abuse, [15:07] domestic violence, drug trafficking, and possession of child porn. For months, they've ignored Trump's and [15:13] Hexsef's war crimes when they ordered the killings of non-combatant civilians, many of whom were just fishermen. [15:20] And now they're ignoring the president's illegal war and genocidal threats against the Iranian people. [15:25] Republicans have completely abandoned the American people. ATF case referrals are down. DEA case [15:31] referrals are down. The number of weapons seized by DHS dropped by almost 80 percent. Drug arrests are [15:37] down. In just the first six months of his administration, Trump's DOJ ended 23,000 criminal cases, [15:44] including investigations into terrorism, tax evasion, drug trafficking, and other violent crimes. [15:50] And Republicans on this committee haven't held a single hearing, started any investigations, or done [15:56] anything about it. Drug traffickers, men who prey on children, murderers, and potential terrorists are all [16:02] roaming the streets of America because they'd rather use these families' tragedy for political gain. [16:08] I'm going to be real honest about this. Your children should be here today. Believe me when I tell you [16:17] that. And while I sit in this imperfect government, and we all know that government is run by imperfect [16:25] people because we are all human, there are policies that can be changed. And it would be my hope and [16:34] prayer that we start to bring about policy changes that can prevent loss of life all around. [16:40] But right now, as federally elected officials, the one thing that we could do to start to save at least [16:49] some folk is to focus on the fact that we have what seems to be government-sanctioned violence [16:57] that is leading to people dying. And we are the ones that oversee these government officials. And I would [17:04] encourage the chairman to hold a hearing so that we can do that part because we are not elected to run any [17:11] city. We are elected on the federal level, and we are the ones that are supposed to have oversight [17:17] over DHS and others. And with that, I will yield. I thank the ranking member. When I make a mistake, [17:24] I make a mistake. So it's important to me to start each meeting, and I forgot to do it, with the pledge. [17:31] So we're going to stand up and do the pledge. And then a moment of silence, just thinking about all [17:35] that's transpiring. Please stand. I am now going to recognize the chairman of the Committee of the [18:25] Whole, Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for that moment of silence. Thank you for doing [18:30] this hearing. I thank our witnesses, particularly Ms. Hyling, Ms. Fox, and Ms. Wilkinson, for being [18:36] here and for your loss. I just said this on the House floor, but I think it's worth saying again. [18:42] They think about what's happened in our country. For four years, the Democrats allowed 10 million [18:48] illegal migrants to enter our nation. Second, they set up sanctuary jurisdictions all over the country [18:56] to make it more difficult to remove illegal migrants who commit crime. And now third, they don't want to [19:05] fund the people who actually remove those illegal migrants who commit crime. They don't want to fund ICE. [19:11] I mean, that's their plan. And they're executing it. And of course, what's the end result? [19:16] Tragedies like all of your families have had to endure. That's what happens. That's what happens [19:23] when you adopt the plan that they're putting in action. That's exactly what happens. And so this is [19:30] not political, as the ranking member just said. This is the facts. You've lived it in the worst way [19:35] possible. The worst way, the most personal to your entire family, what's happened is tragic. And you all [19:41] know that, but you're willing to come here and testify because you want that plan to be stopped. [19:47] Let in 10 million, create sanctuary jurisdictions where illegal migrants commit crimes. Almost a third [19:53] of the country is in that kind of jurisdiction. 18 cities, 11 states, three counties in the District [19:59] of Columbia, that kind of jurisdiction. And then, oh, the guys who go out and stop those bad guys, [20:05] illegal migrants who did crime, they defunded them. Wow. That's the Democrats plan. That's scary. [20:15] And so this is not political. This is for you to come tell your story. So hopefully we can stop [20:20] what they've started to the tune of 10 minutes. Oh, by the way, it just got worse. Just got worse [20:25] because on the House floor, they said anyone who came here under temporary protected status is now [20:29] going to be permanent. 300,000 Haitians who entered the country during the Biden administration, [20:35] we're going to make that permanent. So they're making it even worse. So this is not a political [20:40] hearing. This is to get the facts and the truth about the tragedy you've had to endure because of [20:45] Democrat policies, plain and simple. So I want to thank the chairman for his work, for this hearing, [20:51] and for your courage and your willingness to come here today and tell the story. With that, [20:55] I yield back. I thank the chairman and I recognize the ranking member from the state of Maryland. [21:03] Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the family members who came [21:06] to Washington today to tell us the stories of how they lost their children. Please forgive my black and [21:13] bloody eye. I am nursing a medical injury, but I did not want to miss this important hearing. And [21:18] if the light gets too intense, forgive me if I put the sunglasses back on. There is no pain, Mr. Chairman, [21:25] no anguish, no trauma, no catastrophe worse for any parent than having to bury your child. And my heart [21:33] and my sympathy go to all of you who lost a child as I did, and to your children who lost a brother or a [21:42] sister, nothing hurts more than losing a child, a family member in the prime of their life or having [21:49] them suffer a catastrophic injury or assault because someone else decided that their life didn't matter. [21:55] You are all here today bravely to tell us how much the lives of your children did matter and do matter [22:03] and to ensure that their legacies here on earth, while senselessly cut short or dramatically altered, [22:09] still live on in your work and in your families. In telling your loved ones stories, you are advancing [22:16] the righteous goal of ensuring that no other person suffers the pain of what you have gone through. You [22:21] will not find a single member in this body who disagrees with your goal or your mission. This is a [22:27] house. This is a Congress filled on both sides with mothers and fathers, uncles and aunts, grandparents, [22:34] brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. We all want to protect our families and to keep them safe [22:41] from harm. The terrible crimes that your families have suffered must be universally condemned. Victims of [22:50] violent crimes, all violent crimes, victims of vehicular homicides, victims of reckless driving, all of them [23:02] must be listened to, must be heard and must be respected. Victims must receive justice for [23:09] the dreadful crimes that took their loved ones away. Perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest [23:16] extent of our laws. Those who attack police officers or those who attack civilians must be prosecuted to the [23:24] fullest extent of our laws. No one should be granted a blanket pardon without proof of remorse or [23:31] rehabilitation or restitution to their victims. And once perpetrators have served their sentence here, [23:39] if they're in our country illegally, they should be removed from our country. This is not a partisan [23:45] problem and nobody should try to turn it into a partisan problem. Tragically, the stories that we hear [23:51] today can be told of any president. President Bush, President Obama, President Trump, President Biden, [23:57] each of their administrations released undocumented immigrants who went on to commit violent crimes. We [24:02] could fill the room with people speaking of their lost family members at the hands of people who [24:11] came into the country illegally under Democratic and Republican administrations alike. It's not a partisan [24:18] problem. Everyone knows our immigration system has been broken for decades. Administration after [24:23] administration, we have lacked the political will to do the hard work of putting together a bipartisan solution. We need an [24:32] immigration system that makes it a lot harder to come here illegally or impossible to come here legally [24:40] and a lot easier to come here legally to participate in the American dream. We need an immigration [24:49] system that gives dreamers and others who have built a productive and law abiding life in our country [24:55] a pathway to legal status. Alas, this administration is focused on mass arrests, mass detention and mass [25:03] deportation that are dividing our country in unprecedented ways. To achieve this goal, DHS has not focused on [25:10] going after the worst of the worst, a category of violent criminals quickly exhausted. With Stephen Miller [25:16] demanding 3,000 draconian immigration arrests every single day, federal agents simply started [25:22] indiscriminately rounding up immigrants and American citizens who looked like immigrants, according to the [25:27] agents. ICE has arrested kindergarteners, daycare teachers, parents dropping off their kids at school. [25:34] They dragged U.S. citizen grandparents out of their homes in their underwear in subzero temperatures and [25:40] ripped children from their beds in the middle of the night using them as bait to arrest their parents. [25:46] When ICE does manage to arrest people with criminal records or charges, those are often people who are [25:51] currently in custody. In many cases, ICE is effectively giving criminals get-out-of-jail-free cards by [25:58] deporting them in the middle of their criminal sentences or even worse, deporting them before their [26:04] trials can even begin depriving their victims of justice. Also, the agency can simply jack up the [26:12] president's deportation numbers. This makes it vital to hear from families like yours who have suffered from [26:18] terrible crimes to hear about the importance of accountability for those crimes. Your testimony [26:24] is an important and powerful reminder that the fundamental responsibility of our federal law [26:28] enforcement and justice system is to keep the people safe and to ensure that no one is ever above the [26:33] law and no one is ever beneath it. The government must stand on the side of victims of crimes, not their [26:40] perpetrators. I tried to remind Attorney General Bondi of that principle when she appeared here before our [26:45] committee. That's why we've been so focused on insisting that we hear from the victims of Jeffrey Epstein [26:51] and Ghislaine Maxwell and their elite pedophile network. The women survivors who our government [26:57] has failed at every turn. We failed to protect them from the appalling human trafficking and rape ring [27:03] in the first place. Then our government failed them again by not holding any of Epstein's powerful friends [27:09] accountable, exposing victims' names while censoring the names of perpetrators and playing outrageous [27:15] political games with the files in DOJ's possession that they are legally compelled to turn over to [27:21] Congress and make public. I was happy to hear that the First Lady of the United States agrees with that, [27:27] and we hope that our committee will heed her call to hold hearings, as Mrs. Trump said, with the survivors [27:36] of Jeffrey Epstein's billion-dollar global sex trafficking ring. This is also why we speak up [27:42] for all of the people victimized and harmed by the people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. [27:48] Not only the over 150 police officers who were bludgeoned, beaten, crushed, and even died because of [27:56] what happened that day, but also for all of those who have been harmed by the January 6th perpetrators [28:01] after they got their pardons from President Trump. These pardon recipients have gone on to abuse women [28:07] and children, plot murders, and commit sexual assault and kidnapping. After January 6th rioter [28:14] Andrew Paul Johnson got his pardon from President Trump, he repeatedly sexually abused two 12-year-old [28:22] children and tried to keep them quiet by promising to share with them some of the millions of dollars [28:27] in restitution that he plans to receive from the Trump administration. If not for President Trump's [28:33] pardon, these children never would have been molested. Their innocence would not have been [28:39] shattered by this monster. It is essential to hear from people harmed also by the aggressive police [28:47] state-style immigration enforcement tactics that have terrified the country. They don't target the worst of [28:54] the worst. They are the worst of the worst. This includes hearing from the families of the three [28:59] American citizens. ICE agents have gunned down point-blank in our streets, like Renee Good, [29:05] the 36-year-old mother and poet who was shot three times in the head and body by an ICE officer while she [29:11] was driving her car. This includes the American citizens who have been profiled, beaten, detained, [29:16] and even deported by ICE. It includes the police officers who are finding it more difficult to do their [29:22] jobs because immigrant communities no longer trust them, and prosecutors whose cases are stymied [29:28] because ICE deports their defendants, witnesses, and victims before their trials can even begin, [29:33] and it includes the family members of people who have died at the hands of their abusers because they [29:38] were too afraid to report them to the police for fear they would be deported. Failing to arrest and [29:45] deport the worst of the worst makes all of us less safe, but so too does allowing federal agents to [29:51] trample the rights and freedoms of the American people. I want to thank you all again for appearing before [29:56] us today and hope that we will continue to listen to the voices of everyone whose lives have been so [30:03] immeasurably altered by the failure of our government to act and enact meaningful policy changes to keep [30:09] all of our streets and all of our people safe. I look forward to hearing your testimony today, [30:14] and I yield back to Mr. Chairman. Thank the ranking member. Without objection, [30:18] all other opening statements will be included in the record. We now will introduce today's witnesses, [30:24] Ms. Patricia Fox. Ms. Fox lives in Denver metro area and is the full-time caregiver to her daughter [30:31] Carissa. Carissa was hit by an unlicensed and uninsured driver who entered the United States [30:38] illegally. She sustained a traumatic brain injury and now requires full-time care. Jen Haling. Ms. Haling is [30:48] the mother of Brady Haling, a young man who along with his girlfriend were hit by an illegal alien. Brady [30:54] died from his injuries five days later while his girlfriend was killed instantly. The alien was a [31:00] Honduran national and was intoxicated and driving the wrong way on the highway. Mr. Antonio Romanucci. [31:10] Mr. Romanucci is the founding partner of Romanucci and Blandon, a Chicago-based law firm. He represents [31:17] the family of Renee Good and Ms. Laura Wilkerson. Ms. Wilkerson is the mother of Joshua Wilkerson, [31:28] a young man who was beaten to death, set on fire by an illegal alien who was his high school [31:35] classmate. Joshua was giving this individual a ride home from school when he attacked him. We are going [31:46] to begin by swearing you all in. Would you please rise? Raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm [31:56] under penalty of perjury that the testimony you are about to give is true and correct to the best of your [32:02] knowledge, information, and belief. So help you God. Thank you. You may sit down. Let the record reflect. [32:11] The witnesses have answered in the affirmative. Please know that your written testimony will be entered [32:16] into the record in its entirety. We ask that you summarize your testimony to no longer than five minutes. [32:23] Ms. Fox, you may begin. Thank you for reminding us where we were. I thought for a second that I [32:32] wandered into an Epstein file hearing. Now that my, now that I've been holding my arms open to what life has [32:42] to offer me, I couldn't be happier. That was the last text from my daughter roughly two hours before an [32:50] unlicensed, uninsured, illegal alien would run a stop sign, cross three lanes of traffic without looking, [32:56] and collide with Carissa, slamming her head first into a concrete barrier. The driver then fled the scene with [33:03] her boyfriend and aunt, not knowing if my daughter was alive or dead. My daughter was ambitious. She [33:10] was enrolled in esthetician school. She quickly rose to the top of her class, landed jobs with high-end [33:17] salons. She'd smile with confidence as she talked about her dreams of opening a skincare line based on [33:24] beauty secrets around the world. She was very specific that her goal was to make quality skincare affordable [33:31] for everyone, because everyone deserved to feel beautiful. I was so proud of the young woman that [33:39] Carissa was blossoming into before my eyes. She would have done it too, because when my daughter put her [33:45] mind to something, she achieved it. Now, she's minimally conscious, non-verbal, is wheelchair-bound, [33:53] and eats through a feeding tube. She has very little cognitive control over her body. She communicates [34:01] discomfort through grunts and moans, and at night she often calls out to me. I think she's afraid of [34:06] the dark, or being alone, or both. I don't know for sure, because she can't tell me. I know the pole [34:15] socks that monitors her vitals while she's sleeping, says her heart rate is high when I walk in. Then I [34:23] touch her arm and sing to her in those wee hours, and her heart rate goes back down, and she goes to sleep. [34:30] And to think, we're the lucky ones. My little girl survived. I still get to kiss her. I still get to [34:39] hold her hand. Many angel families don't get that. That blessing is not lost on me. For us, there is hope, [34:50] regardless of what the doctors say, because my God is big, and he happens to be in the business of [34:56] miracles. But hope for the future does not erase today's reality. That reality is my daughter's care [35:04] is now my full-time responsibility. Her medical needs are extensive. Her medical bills well into [35:11] seven figures and growing. The person responsible for this has contributed nothing. I'm not here out [35:20] of anger, but out of responsibility. Responsibility to my daughter, and responsibility to ensure that [35:28] what happened to Carissa is not simply dismissed as an unfortunate exception, but recognized as an all [35:35] too common pattern. This is not just about my family. Destructive sanctuary policies carry real-world [35:44] consequences. Angel families live with these consequences every day. Each angel family that [35:51] comes before all of you is risking more pain and trauma. We receive death threats. We've lost friends. [36:01] We have to relive our trauma over and over again every time we tell our stories. But who's going to tell [36:07] our stories if we don't? You'll never hear Carissa's story from Colorado Democrats like John Hickenlooper, [36:16] Jason Crowe, Brittany Peterson, or Joe Neguse. So here we are telling our stories until not one more [36:25] American daughter, American son, or American family loses a loved one to these fully preventable tragedies. [36:35] We are often told that illegal aliens commit crimes at lower rates than American citizens. [36:41] They say studies show, but when you start digging into those studies, they don't hold up under scrutiny. [36:48] So let's talk about some statistics that we do know. Unlicensed drivers are estimated to have five [36:56] times higher risk of being involved in a fatal crash. They are often involved in reckless behaviors, [37:02] such as speeding and impaired driving, leading to higher rates of serious injury and fatalities. [37:07] Colorado has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the United States with estimates between [37:14] 17 and 20 percent. Of all uninsured Colorado drivers, about 25 percent are estimated to be [37:23] unlicensed illegal aliens. Do you think that a driver is magically protected from these statistics [37:31] simply because they're undocumented? Here's another factual statistic. Entering the United States illegally [37:40] is considered a criminal offense under federal law. One hundred percent of illegal aliens [37:48] are criminals. We often hear that enforcement should only focus on the worst of the worst. [37:55] My daughter was not harmed by someone that was labeled as the worst of the worst. She was harmed by [38:02] someone who shouldn't have been in a position to hurt her in the first place. I reject the idea that [38:09] families must wait for tragedy before action is taken. There should not have to be a Carissa or a Brady or a Hallie [38:20] or a Joshua. Public policy should not require a threshold of victims on either side. Our children [38:33] are not your collateral damage. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Vox. No words. No words. Ms. Hyling, you're next. Thank you. [38:47] My name is Jennifer Hyling. I am an angel mom and I am from a small town in Minnesota. My son Brady Hyling [38:57] and his girlfriend Hallie Helgeson were tragically killed while celebrating their three-year anniversary [39:03] at a concert in Wisconsin. We got a text that they had made it to their car and were headed home. This [39:09] would be the last thing that we had ever heard from them. On July 20th of 2025, our lives came to a [39:15] screeching halt. Brady and Hallie were innocently driving home while an illegal immigrant that was driving the [39:23] wrong way while intoxicated crashed into them. She was a multiple offender, two times over her legal [39:30] limit, and had failed to install her interlock device that would have prevented this whole [39:35] incident from happening. And above all else, she's never had a driver's license to be on the road in [39:40] the first place. This woman was not a hardened criminal. She was just a mom. A mom that was allowed [39:47] to live in this country completely exempt from consequences for breaking our laws. Time after time, [39:53] she was allowed to keep living here above the law without any attempt to change her behavior [39:59] and bad decisions. The ability to seek protection and be shielded by living in a sanctuary city will [40:07] continue to allow illegal immigrants to continue to take the innocent lives of Americans. If you want [40:15] to seek refuge in our country and make a better life for yourself, I am in total support. But expect you [40:21] to follow our laws. Our safety depends on it. Why are we allowing people to live amongst us that want to cause [40:29] us harm? Why are we expected to allow them to keep offending and not be deported? Do you think this is [40:37] really helping anyone seek a better life? It is not. This is called being an enabler. If you are unable to live by [40:45] the laws of this country, you should be removed at the very first offense. Why are we waiting for our children to be [40:52] murdered? If the woman responsible for murdering our children was deported after the first time she [40:59] was drinking and driving, we wouldn't be forced to be living this nightmare. To allow someone to continue [41:06] to be on the road with multiple traffic violations and a history of drinking and driving, not to mention [41:12] never legally obtaining a driver's license or citizenship is absolutely recklessness. This entire tragedy was [41:19] completely preventable. And not just for us, but for her too. If you think allowing anyone to live their lives here [41:26] without consequence is helping them in any way become a better person, you are mistaken. This woman will have to live [41:34] the rest of her life knowing she not only murdered two innocent teenagers full of hopes, dreams, just ready to start their lives together. But she also destroyed her life, our life, and our community and our community's lives. [41:38] Generations of kids and classmates left to figure out why was this allowed to happen. It should have never happened. [41:44] Try to explain to Brady's 11 year old sister that he will never attend another one of her events to cheer her on. He'll never get to see her grow up. [41:52] Explain to his 16 year old sister he won't get to be here to protect her from the guys with bad intentions or meeting her newest farm animal edition. [42:12] Tell Hallie's brother that he's now an only child. All because an illegal immigrant that was allowed to live in a sanctuary city while Brady was living in a city. [42:19] While breaking our laws repeatedly until she finally murdered someone with her reckless, selfish ways. [42:30] And please, I beg you to explain to me that I will not get to watch my son grow into the man I was so diligently raising him to be. [42:39] I will not get to see him succeed at all of his goals he has worked so hard to make come true. [42:45] Then you explain to Hallie's mom why she'll never get to see her little girl become a mother herself. [42:54] And you explain to her dad why he will never get to walk his little girl down the aisle and give her away. [43:01] Please, I ask that you tell my husband that the company he spent his whole life building was for nothing. [43:08] Brady will never get to work alongside of him. [43:11] Just so that a group of people that feel it is more important to protect those illegal immigrants, [43:18] let them keep offending until they completely destroy the lives of innocent children and families, [43:26] is more important than our rights and safety of American citizens. [43:31] It's really easy to say that we need to protect these groups when you are unaffected. [43:38] It's really easy for people I don't even know to sit there and say my kids deserve better than to be part of a political agenda. [43:46] If you believe this to be true, you are sadly mistaken. [43:51] I don't want to be here. We don't want to be here. [43:55] But we weren't given a choice. Our children were murdered. [43:59] So here we are trying to prevent this nightmare from happening to anyone else. [44:04] If it is to protect the loved ones of the very people attacking us. [44:08] Some of my own family find it necessary to tell me this is an issue of drinking and driving, not immigration. [44:16] If this particular woman would have been responsibly dealt with and deported after the first time drinking and driving, [44:23] then we would not be in this position right now. [44:26] My entire future has been literally stolen from me in a way that will never make sense and it still doesn't seem real. [44:33] I should be listening to Brady and Hallie tell me about college and about how they can't wait to come home for the summer. [44:42] But because we continue to protect people like this and give them free reign in our communities, [44:47] the innocent lives will continue to be taken. [44:50] Angel families will continue to multiply. [44:54] Whose kid has to die before these people will see where we are coming from? [44:59] Whose family has to be destroyed before they're willing to admit, hey, we have a problem? [45:05] What tragedy has to rip their lives apart before they realize that when they tell me I need to look at my situation differently? [45:13] It's selfish, heartless and cruel. [45:17] If my reasoning is wrong, then I pray that you will never know how it feels to live a day in my life. [45:23] Thank you, Ms. Hyland. Mr. Romanucci. [45:31] Chairman Van Drew, Chairman Van Drew, Chairman Jordan, Ranking Member Crockett and Ranking Member Raskin. [45:45] My name is Antonio Romanucci. [45:47] I'm a national civil rights attorney and I have the deep honor of representing the family of Renee Goode. [45:54] It was her tragic death in Minnesota by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis that I took on that representation. [46:02] I also represent U.S. citizens whose constitutional rights were violated by federal agents in Chicago. [46:10] And first, please let me express my deepest respect to my co-panelists and mothers who have suffered unthinkable loss, tragedy and trauma. [46:22] Your family's tragedies are inexcusable and we respect your courage. [46:27] I know, as someone who represents victims of violent crime, that too often the second tragedy is that victims struggle to get the justice that they deserve. [46:40] We share your concern that America needs common sense immigration reform. [46:46] I have heard all of you say the same thing. [46:51] But marching thousands of masked agents into communities, rounding up black and brown people, including children, terrorizing them while creating collateral damage of death and catastrophic harm to American citizens? [47:05] That's not the answer. [47:07] All Americans should feel safe in their own cities where citizens are free from unlawful harm from anyone, including agents of their own government. [47:18] Harm of Americans by Americans in American cities is devastating to our republic. [47:24] Those who have committed these violations of rights must be held accountable, just as all people who commit violent acts must be held accountable. [47:35] Allow me to give insight into an American mother of three, Renee Good, who was killed while she was squarely being protected by the First Amendment. [47:45] Here are words that her brother spoke to fellow members of Congress not long ago. [47:51] Quote, [47:52] The deep distress our family feels because of Renee's loss in such a violent and unnecessary way is complicated by feelings of disbelief and desperation for change. [48:05] Our family took some consolation thinking that perhaps Renee's death would bring change in our country. [48:12] It has not. [48:14] These encounters with federal agents are changing many lives, including ours, forever. [48:20] The most important thing we can do is help our country understand what a beautiful American we have lost. [48:27] A sister, a daughter, a mother, a partner, and friend. [48:32] End quote. [48:34] The distress is also felt by Alex Preddy's family. [48:39] It is felt by Maramere Martinez in Chicago, shot five times by a federal agent while bringing a donation to church. [48:46] It is felt by elected official Juan Munoz, violently detained and used as a prop for a DHS video. [48:54] It is felt by children separated from their parents and shipped to detention centers in another state, family after family and city after city. [49:03] The harms by our own federal government in American cities are staggering. [49:09] Needless injury and death by masked agents undermining trust in all law enforcement. [49:15] Violations of freedom of speech and Fourth Amendment freedom from unlawful search and seizure. [49:19] False statements of absolute immunity for agents and false narratives about victims. [49:25] Failure to properly investigate claims of police misconduct. [49:30] What is not understood is that Renee Good's family cannot pursue justice against a federal officer the same way as if a state or local officer had fired those gunshots. [49:40] This anomaly must end federal officers should not receive a special pass on accountability and there should be a bridge to justice for all victims. [49:53] Current law requires that you ask for permission from this federal government to file a lawsuit against it and only allows for a trial by judge and not a jury in defiance of the Seventh Amendment. [50:06] Reasonable updates to Section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act or the Federal Tort Claims Act are needed to ensure access to justice and accountability for wrongdoers. [50:20] I urge Congress to ensure all people have the right to a jury trial, including those hurt or killed by federal officers. [50:28] In conclusion, I deeply respect the mothers who spoke their truths today. [50:34] Their pain and anger and anger are something no parent should ever experience and it's palpable in this room. [50:41] The family of Renee Good and so many other families impacted by the acts of federal agents have likewise suffered immeasurable pain and anger and all victims are worthy of the right to seek accountability. [50:55] We all want safety and peace. Criminal acts of all kinds must be addressed. [51:01] Please create common sense immigration policies. [51:05] Pursue accountability for the harm done by ICE with the same level of commitment that you pursue accountability for all people who commit crimes in this country and demand full compliance to our United States Constitution. [51:20] Thank you. [51:25] Thank you, Mr. Romanucci. [51:27] Ms. Wilkerson, you may begin. [51:30] Thank you for having me here today to tell you the story of my son, Joshua. [51:34] My husband and I raised three children and Josh was the baby of our family. [51:39] He was 18 years old and a senior in high school. [51:42] A classmate of his asked him for a ride home and unbeknownst to him, that classmate wanted to murder Josh so that he could scrap his truck for some money. [51:54] Instead of getting Josh home that day, we got an autopsy report that explained just exactly how Josh died. [51:59] There are three manners of death, abdomen trauma, head trauma and strangulation. [52:06] I guess I feel lucky that he was dead before he was set on fire. [52:10] This creates a hole in a family like you can never imagine. [52:23] It will never be repaired here. [52:25] Our lives will be different. [52:27] It's like a bomb was dropped in our family. [52:30] And even if we could pick up the pieces, you can't put them back together, right? [52:34] I'm okay with where Josh was at today. [52:39] What I'm not okay with are the lies that I'm hearing as I sit here sometimes. [52:46] Josh deserved to live. [52:48] His brother was defending this country in the Air Force. [52:50] He got to come home for two weeks to bury his little brother and then go back to defending this country and put his grief on a shelf. [52:59] So now that he's out, he deals with things later. [53:03] And it affects our family in every single way. [53:06] The lies I want to talk about today are what I'm hearing from Miss Crockett and Mr. Raskin about. [53:16] I think you said there's potential terrorists roaming the streets. [53:20] Those are due to sanctuary city policies. [53:23] You invited the criminal element. [53:25] Hey, come to our city and we're going to give you sanctuary. [53:27] What are you giving them sanctuary from? [53:29] Law? [53:29] Who else gets sanctuary from law? [53:33] Do I get it? [53:34] You feel sympathy for me? [53:36] I'm never going to be the same. [53:37] Can I go do what I want to do and get sanctuary from the law? [53:42] I can't even understand how you can say you're inviting the criminal element to come to your city. [53:47] And what you're doing is putting them over the citizens, the ones that are supposed to be voting for you. [53:52] Although we know illegals vote in the elections. [53:53] Failed policies are under Obama inviting opening the U.S. border to any and everybody. [54:05] Allowing them without vetting them and shipping them off to other parts of the country so that [54:11] they can vote in that area. [54:13] Giving them driver's license. [54:14] Giving them social security cards. [54:17] Allowing them to be citizens without being citizens. [54:21] And vote for a certain party. [54:27] So the lies about that what you're saying are just that they're lies. [54:32] You know, they can protest. [54:34] And as far as Miss Good's family walk down the street all day long with a protest sign. [54:39] Walk down it all day long. [54:41] But you can fix it by telling you can't get in the middle of a law enforcement investigation. [54:45] I don't care how bad you think the policy is wrong. [54:47] Don't get in the middle of an investigation of law enforcement. [54:50] That'd be the first way not to die, you know, if you want a simple protest. [54:55] Antifa is not peaceful protesting. [54:59] Those are the lies. [55:00] It's lie after lie after lie after lie. [55:03] None of you care about these people. [55:05] You don't care about my kid. [55:06] You don't care about theirs. [55:08] You don't care about Miss Good. [55:10] It just suits you. [55:12] It's frustrating to hear the lies after lies after lies. [55:15] And it's over and over and over. [55:17] I had hoped that my testimony 10 years ago, [55:20] I wouldn't have to meet new families like this. [55:23] Boy, I was so naive. [55:25] We're still talking about giving sanctuary to people that broke the law. [55:28] What about the people that stood in line and did it the hard way? [55:32] Wrote letters home to their home country and said, [55:34] Look, we made it to America. [55:36] You know, they didn't know how to speak the language. [55:38] They didn't have a car. [55:38] They didn't have a lot of money. [55:40] But they did it the right way. [55:41] And they were granted the American dream. [55:43] So many of them accomplished that. [55:45] What about those people you're letting in in front of those people? [55:48] How does that make sense in your eyes? [55:50] How do you sleep at night saying you're going to give sanctuary [55:53] to people who broke into this country? [55:55] I don't know how you sleep at night. [55:57] But what I do know is you don't care about our kids. [55:59] They're collateral damage in the things that you want to happen. [56:05] That's all they are. [56:06] They're collateral damage. [56:06] You can tell me about the sympathy. [56:08] And I believe your sympathy. [56:09] You don't want anybody to die. [56:10] I understand that. [56:11] But think about if it's your kid. [56:13] You got any grandkids? [56:14] You got kids? [56:15] Think about your baby, the baby of your family. [56:17] And think about in an hour, you may have to go home and watch. [56:20] Listen to your wife tell you that your son didn't come home from school today [56:25] because he was beaten and tortured and set on fire [56:29] by somebody that didn't need to be in this country. [56:33] His parents had overstayed a visa. [56:35] His father was given a social security card and a driver's license [56:40] so that he could work. [56:42] And he overstayed that visa. [56:43] And then he brought his whole family here without a visa to come in illegally. [56:48] That is what I'm mad about. [56:49] If you really cared about this, you would stand up and quit calling for sanctuary city. [56:55] It makes no sense. [56:57] And all you're doing is trying to put people that have come into the country illegally [57:02] before American citizens, especially even about the Rene Good. [57:07] I feel for their family. [57:08] They have lost a family member through no fault of their own. [57:12] But she chose to go there that day. [57:13] She chose to aim her car at a policeman. [57:17] She chose those actions that got her killed. [57:20] Policemen or ICE isn't just deciding who to pick up. [57:24] They're going after criminals in this country. [57:26] And if you're in the middle of that and you get in the middle of it [57:28] and you want to go out there and tell them they shouldn't be doing it [57:29] and you're an illegal, pick you up too. [57:32] Sorry. [57:32] That's just the way it has to be. [57:36] President Trump and Tom Holman and the Border Patrol [57:41] have stopped the leak of illegal immigration in this country. [57:46] It is ICE's job to clean up the dang mess. [57:49] It is going to be hard. [57:52] There are going to be casualties. [57:54] There are going to be unhappy people and families that are hurting. [57:58] I say if you're not putting your kids six feet in under the dirt and turning around and walking [58:03] away from the cemetery, you'll be all right. [58:07] Stop the nonsense. [58:09] Stop it. [58:12] It's time to clean up the mess of what happened under the last few administrations. [58:17] And I really don't care if they're unhappy. [58:20] I'm so grateful they could go home and see their kid [58:22] or they can FaceTime their kid in another country [58:25] or the kid here can FaceTime. [58:26] Their parents put them in that situation. [58:28] Their parents brought him over or brought them over there when they were young. [58:32] I understand it's no fault of the kids, [58:33] but their parents put them in that situation. [58:36] You have parents in other countries that come here illegally and then they [58:40] they call for some yahoo to transport their kid across the border to join them. [58:44] They don't care if they get raped all along the way, [58:46] because that's what happens. [58:47] We know it. [58:48] I know it. [58:48] You know it. [58:49] Ms. Wilkerson, I could listen to you all day and I mean it. [58:52] I could. [58:53] Your time has expired. [58:55] I've been very lenient. [58:56] You're about a minute and a half over. [58:57] Sorry. [58:58] No, don't be sorry. [58:59] I'm sorry I have to say this. [59:01] But if you could wrap it up your entire testimony, [59:05] anything else you have to say will be put in the permanent record. [59:08] Thank you. [59:08] Thank you for listening to me. [59:09] I just want you to know that the leak has been stopped. [59:12] Continue to fight to clean up the mess. [59:14] Stop the nonsense at sanctuary cities. [59:17] Thank you, Ms. Wilkerson. [59:19] We're going to now proceed under the five minute rule with questions for those on the panel. [59:24] And we are going to start with Mr. Schmidt from the state of Kansas. [59:29] My name is chairman and I want to thank all of our witnesses for being here [59:38] and for not just taking your time, but for giving your hearts. [59:44] We're grateful for your sharing your stories because it makes it real for people who are watching [59:49] and who will read this record and who understand that this is more than a policy debate. [59:55] So thank you for your time. [59:56] Let me start, go this direction. [1:00:00] Ms. Wilkerson, let me start with you. [1:00:02] I'm sorry I didn't catch. [1:00:03] Where is your home state? [1:00:05] Ms. It was Houston, Texas. [1:00:07] In Texas? [1:00:07] Ms. I lived just outside of Houston. [1:00:09] Yes. [1:00:09] What happened to the person who killed your child? [1:00:13] I got justice in a court of law, probably because it was in Texas. [1:00:17] He could have gotten between five and 99 years. [1:00:20] He got 99 years. [1:00:22] And so in that means he has to serve 30 years before he comes up for parole. [1:00:27] So we have about another 15 years and before I have to start fighting, [1:00:30] letting him out, you know, him getting out of jail. [1:00:33] But I am grateful that he got some justice. [1:00:37] I know so many parents don't get that. [1:00:38] Ms. Eileen, may I ask you the same question? [1:00:42] What happened to the person who killed your child? [1:00:44] Um, Brady and Hallie had their crash happen this past July. [1:00:49] Um, we have been pushed off and pushed off. [1:00:53] You know, things take time. [1:00:54] We're told this is just how it works. [1:00:57] Be patient. [1:00:59] Try to raise your family. [1:01:00] Try to go about your life, but be patient. [1:01:03] So we are still living this justice you speak of. [1:01:08] How old was Brady? [1:01:10] He was 19 and Hallie was 18. [1:01:14] Brady looked like quite an athlete from the photos. [1:01:17] Brady and Hallie were both amazing athletes. [1:01:20] Brady turned down scholarships to stay home and support Hallie in her athletics. [1:01:29] And, um, they were going to start college together in about two weeks. [1:01:34] All of their college belongings are still in their rooms, in our basements. [1:01:40] Just like they're going to come back and we're going to send them off someday. [1:01:44] You're right. [1:01:45] He looked like an amazing athlete because he was. [1:01:47] He's a very special boy to a lot of a lot of people that know him and that don't know him. [1:01:53] He's made a huge impact. [1:01:54] I saw what looked like football photos. [1:01:58] Was he a multi-sport athlete? [1:02:00] Um, Brady played football mainly. [1:02:03] He was a state track athlete. [1:02:07] He ran relays and threw the shot put. [1:02:11] He went two years in a row to the state competition. [1:02:14] And, um, he weight trained in between times, as you can see by the size of his biceps. [1:02:21] He never missed a workout session. [1:02:24] He was very self-disciplined. [1:02:27] He was very much a rule follower. [1:02:31] To die in the way he did, innocently trying to get home, [1:02:36] the rule follower in him was screaming at the top of his lungs. [1:02:41] This woman is drunk. [1:02:43] She's driving the wrong way. [1:02:46] I don't have time to react. [1:02:49] Why wasn't she home with her own family, taking care of them, sparing my child? [1:02:54] Where were they going to go to college? [1:02:58] They were going to go over to South Dakota to Lake Area Tech. [1:03:01] He was planning on opening a diesel mechanic shop at our house. [1:03:07] We just finished building. [1:03:10] Him and his dad had spent the whole summer. [1:03:12] They own semis and excavating equipment. [1:03:17] They do a lot of dirt work and truck hauling. [1:03:19] And he was going to open that shop to be able to service all of those trucks. [1:03:24] Like I said, he was very independently driven, had lots of goals. [1:03:30] He had a plan for him and Hallie. [1:03:34] It was a little different than what he was anticipating. [1:03:37] Thank you, ma'am. [1:03:39] You're welcome. [1:03:41] Ms. Fox, what happened to the person who hit your daughter? [1:03:43] I contacted the voice line victims of immigration crime engagement back in January. [1:03:57] After our seventh arraignment, she took the plea, pleading guilty to class five felony conspiracy [1:04:06] to flee the scene of an accident with severe bodily injury. [1:04:10] So I filed a report with voice and we received news that she has since been deported. [1:04:21] February 28th, it was confirmed that she is back in Venezuela. [1:04:26] So each of the three of you had interaction with the criminal justice system [1:04:31] after the crimes that injured or killed your children. [1:04:34] Since this all happened to each of the three mothers, just quickly, [1:04:37] has anybody who engaged in the policies that let those people stay in this country illegally beforehand, [1:04:44] has anybody contacted you and expressed sympathy or apologized to you? [1:04:47] No, we've heard from one politician from our local area expressing his sincere condolences, [1:04:58] but we've heard nothing, nothing about anything that was done wrong in justice [1:05:04] as much as Ms. Renee Goode has received. [1:05:07] I had several Republicans express their sympathy, but most of the others just wanted to look away [1:05:16] and not, you know, they're not emotionally strong enough to look at it, let alone live through it. [1:05:22] But they're not going to change a policy. [1:05:23] That's why I fully believe that kids are just collateral damage. [1:05:28] Thank you. My time's expired, Mr. Chairman. [1:05:31] I just want to say we are very sorry that our country let this happen to you. [1:05:36] Thank you, Mr. Schmidt. [1:05:41] I recognize the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Hank Johnson. [1:05:46] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [1:05:47] I'm so sorry for what has happened to your children. [1:05:50] I cannot imagine what you've gone through, [1:05:53] and no parent should have to go through what you have gone through. [1:05:56] All victims of violent crime deserve justice, but this hearing is not about justice. [1:06:02] It's entitled The Human Toll of Sanctuary Policies, Stories from Victims and Families. [1:06:12] We could very well have done a hearing on the human toll of the Trump MAGA tax cuts on 17 million [1:06:23] Americans who got their health care access and food security ripped out from under them so that the [1:06:30] wealthiest billionaires in this country could get another tax cut. Or we could have entitled this [1:06:36] hearing or had a hearing on the human toll of Trump's stupid war with Iran and how it's making life [1:06:44] increasingly unaffordable for people here in America, except for the wealthiest Americans. [1:06:52] They can pay whatever the price is. We could have had a hearing on the human toll of Trump's desperate [1:06:59] cover-up of the Epstein files, the toll that that has played on the victims of that international child [1:07:10] sex abuse ring. But no, we are here today, and not to cast any aspersions on any of you for testifying, [1:07:19] but this is a Steve Miller-approved hearing whose sole aim is to stir up passion and bias and prejudice [1:07:28] against immigrants who are people of color. Now, I mean, we have had mass murder after mass murder in [1:07:38] this country perpetrated by all kinds of people. But I just want to talk about those that have been [1:07:47] perpetrated by white males. Robert Card opened fire at a bowling alley in Lewistown, Maine, killing 18 people, [1:07:57] wounding 13. Peyton Gendron, white supremacist, killed 10 people in a racist attack at a supermarket [1:08:07] in Buffalo, New York. Randy Stare, a 32-year-old suspected of killing a family of four in Romeoville, [1:08:15] Illinois. Richard Dale Crum, a 52-year-old man in Arca Butler, Mississippi, who shot and killed six [1:08:24] people, including his ex-wife and stepfather, 38-year-old Courtney Gordon, who stabbed four [1:08:31] relatives, including two children to death in New York City. And I could go on and on in terms of [1:08:37] tragedies and victims of tragedy who could be brought here to talk about this MAGA Republican failure to do [1:08:46] anything about gun control. You know, I mean, we so this is even the fact that Mr. Romanucci, [1:08:58] you are seated number three instead of number four. I mean, normally, the three Republican witnesses [1:09:04] would be seated together, not sandwiching the Democratic witness in between you. But, you know, [1:09:12] you got sandwiched today for the dramatic effect of it. It's all politics. And it's unfortunate what my [1:09:20] friends here on the other side of the aisle are perpetrating. Mr. Romanucci, the killing of Miss Good [1:09:30] was not in a, was by rogue ICE officers, federal agents who can't even be sued for, you know, the damage [1:09:43] that they have done to your clients' loved ones. That's wrong. That's why I've introduced the Bivens [1:09:49] Act, which would allow people to bring federal officials into court and sue them against these [1:09:54] egregious actions. There are many. Certainly they equate. I'm not minimizing the tragedy that is before [1:10:03] us today with you three women, but the other tragedies at the hands of non-immigrants, just as important. [1:10:11] My Bivens Act would ensure that all victims and their loved ones can get justice even if the [1:10:19] perpetrator is a government official. And that's why I've also introduced the Constitutional [1:10:24] Accountability Act, which would establish that federal, state and local governments have the same [1:10:29] respondent superior liability that private employers have for their employees. So there's much we can do [1:10:37] to bring justice to those who have been aggrieved by tragedy. Congress, this MAGA Republican Congress [1:10:47] is incapable and unwilling to do anything in that regard. And that's unfortunate. I'm going to be the [1:10:55] one who yields back after going only 11 minutes over. Thank you. And I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Johnson. [1:11:05] Yes, that was 11 seconds over. Not 11 minutes. I would have been tapping the gavel. With that, [1:11:11] Mr. Schmidt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have some unanimous consent requests. Without objection. I would [1:11:15] ask unanimous consent to include in the record an article titled, Ice Ask Governor Pritzker in [1:11:19] Chicago Sanctuary Politicians to Not Release Criminal Illegal Alien Accused of Killing 18-Year-Old Loyal [1:11:24] to College Student. Without objection. Also, an article titled, Mayor Fry's Sanctuary [1:11:29] Policies Release Criminal Illegal Aliens from Jails Back into Minneapolis Streets to Terrorize [1:11:33] More Innocent Americans. Without objection. And so, too, unanimous consent to include in the record [1:11:38] an article titled, Illinois Father Says Pritzker Shows, quote, indifference, unquote, to his daughter [1:11:43] being killed by a legal immigrant. Without objection. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. And, Mr. Chair, [1:11:47] I have a UC. Without objection. This is from the Texas Tribune. It is from March 29th, [1:11:52] actually my birthday, 2010. Houston No Sanctuary, Anise Parker, who was the mayor at the time. [1:12:00] Can I respond to that? Thank you. You know what, Mr. Gill is going to speak next and he is going to [1:12:09] yield some of his time to you. Thank you. Is that okay? Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. With that, I recognize [1:12:15] Mr. Gill. Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing and thank you to the witnesses for coming [1:12:24] here and telling us your stories and your family's stories. Before we get into that, I think it's worth [1:12:30] saying that was one of the most disgusting testimonies I have ever heard. To have Hank come [1:12:37] in here and lecture Angel families about how they shouldn't be here, how we shouldn't be holding this [1:12:43] hearing. What the hell is wrong with you guys? The reason they're here is because of open borders that [1:12:51] you guys perpetrated for four years. And to come in here and to turn this into a MAGA, Republican, [1:12:59] idiotic low IQ lecture is sickening to whine about which seats they're in. It's disgusting. [1:13:14] That said, I'd like to give you guys a chance to respond to some of the things that you've heard. [1:13:23] And I'll start with you, Ms. Wilkerson. Thank you. I just wanted to say that it was [1:13:29] a spoken policy of Houston to be a sanctuary. It wasn't written at that point. And so the suburbs [1:13:36] around Houston followed that same policy. And these Parker's kind of laughable to me. This hearing could [1:13:42] also be about why we're not, uh, or people aren't voting. You know, there's a slush fund for people [1:13:51] up here in these places that have committed crimes or people have said, oh, you've raped and stuff. [1:13:57] But you know, this hearing could have been about that too, but it's not. Um, it's about our kids that [1:14:02] we lost and about the very fact that sanctuary city policies is creating a haven for people that came to [1:14:09] this country illegally. Thank you. You can put me in whatever order in whatever seat. My tragedy is [1:14:17] never going to be okay. I will be last. I will be first. I will be 42nd seat. That's what you want. [1:14:24] But we're so used to hearing everyone tell us, but we're sorry, please hear our condolences. But this [1:14:34] hearing should be about this. This hearing should be about me, but it's not. Today's our day. [1:14:41] Hear us. Leave your butts in your seat. I don't want to hear your butts. Our tragedies are disgusting. [1:14:51] I still wait for my children to come home. It's not real to me. My 11 year old, my 16 year old, [1:14:59] they're waiting for their car to come home with Brady and Hallie in it, because guess what? It's [1:15:03] evidence. We can't have that back yet. My garage stall is empty. So the girls say, Mom, we still think [1:15:11] they're going to come home and tell us all about the concert and celebrating their anniversary because [1:15:17] the car's not here. They'll come home, won't they? We can't pick a headstone because that makes it too [1:15:24] real. But you can sit here and tell us about what kind of hearing this should be. Renee Goode is not [1:15:32] the same as Angel family. She made a choice. She left her home that day, made the choice. A choice. [1:15:40] Carissa didn't get a choice. Joshua didn't get a choice. They are living American laws, the American [1:15:50] dream. They're trying to make this place better. And they were stolen by somebody who doesn't care. [1:15:55] But give me all your butts. I'm used to it. I don't know if anybody has noticed, but I am not white. [1:16:03] I wake up brown every day. I'm not sure what race has to do with any of this. Four. There's four kids [1:16:18] that we talked about today. And y'all can't seem to stay on topic for what? An hour of your time? [1:16:25] You got to bring up what about, what about, what about? No. We're talking about these four kids. [1:16:32] We're talking about Angel families. Stay on topic. I don't want to talk about Epstein right [1:16:39] now. That's another hearing. I don't want to talk about ICE detainees. That's another hearing. [1:16:43] Right now, today, we're talking about sanctuary policies and how they have wrecked our families. [1:16:53] Y'all come and y'all feed Carissa. You get her up from her bed using a crane. And then you tell me and [1:17:02] lecture me what this hearing should be about. Ms. Wilkerson, we have a little bit more time. [1:17:15] Would you like to have the floor to respond to anything else you've heard today? I just have [1:17:20] to agree with them both. You know, this hearing could be about anything. And I appreciate that [1:17:24] they want to get some things on record. But it's not what it's about today. It's about American citizens [1:17:31] who parents try to do the right thing. You know, I stayed at home mom because I wanted to give Josh my [1:17:36] values, my kids my values, and teach them right from wrong, take them to church. And you get almost through to [1:17:42] that point. And then somebody that shouldn't even have been here just steals their life right out [1:17:46] from under you. You'll never understand the pain. I pray that you don't understand the pain. [1:17:53] And it's about giving a group of people sanctuary from the law. Nobody gets sanctuary from the law. [1:18:01] It's absolutely ridiculous. It's hard to be a believer sitting here begging you to obey the laws [1:18:07] that y'all made. I mean, there are laws in the books. If we just start with that, we'd be better off if [1:18:13] we just start enforcing those. But nobody gets sanctuary from the law. You know, you know how to [1:18:18] stay. You know how to not get killed by the police. Don't get involved in something they're doing. [1:18:22] Makes every you know, it's pretty much common sense. But I just I want it to remain about the kids, [1:18:27] American citizens that have been lost. You know, I think this gentleman over here, Mr. Johnson, [1:18:33] said that you could fill this room. You could fill us stadiums. You know, they don't keep statistics. [1:18:37] They don't want statistics. They don't want you to know how many people are being killed. [1:18:40] Ms. Wilkerson, I'm sorry. I get to be the bad guy today. I don't mean to be. I really could listen [1:18:46] to all of you all day. I'm trying as chairman to get it under control. We have let everybody on both [1:18:52] sides. Thank you. No problem. I could talk for a while. I know. I know. And I thank you for that. [1:18:58] Does the gentleman yield back? Yep. Yield back. Thank you. I thank the gentleman. With that, [1:19:04] I recognize the ranking member Jasmine Crockett. Thank you so much. And I hear your rage and I [1:19:11] don't have children and literally have never lost a child nor have one injured to actually, [1:19:18] you know, really be in your shoes. But one thing that I can tell you about the redirection is because [1:19:24] so often what we see happen is politicians play games. The reality is that if you are talking about [1:19:30] a sanctuary city, then we're talking about city government. We're talking about local control, [1:19:35] something that the Republicans used to espouse that they believed in. They used to believe in [1:19:40] whoever lives in that city. You elect who is going to run that city and that city, [1:19:47] whether it's the police department, which is the police department and law enforcement [1:19:52] that make the decisions about what they do. We don't pick the police chief for any given city, [1:19:58] not on the federal level. That comes from the city level. That comes from whoever the people of that [1:20:03] city actually elect to represent them. I believe in local control. Same thing. I live in Texas too. [1:20:09] And baby, I wish I didn't have to deal with governor Greg Abbott, but local control dictates that he is [1:20:15] the governor of our state. And therefore we have state reps, we have state senators, and we have a [1:20:21] governor and we have county elected officials and city elected officials. We are sitting in Washington, [1:20:26] D.C. right now. We are on the federal level. So what I believe in is something that the Republicans [1:20:33] used to scream, which is local control. So when we're having a conversation and a hearing about [1:20:40] the human toll, the title specifically is the human toll of sanctuary policies, stories from victims and [1:20:46] families. My deal is we aren't the ones that decide what cities do. So what they've decided to do [1:20:54] is they've decided to play on your pain. And that is why I am frustrated. Because hear me when I say [1:21:02] this, I have seen people, whether it was an American citizen or not that killed your child or harmed your [1:21:09] child, I believe it's wrong. To me, it wouldn't have made it any less painful. And I could be wrong again, [1:21:16] because I don't have any kids. But if for some reason it had been a US citizen that ended up harming or [1:21:23] killing your child, the pain would still be there, it would still hurt. So the reality is that what we [1:21:28] need to do is make sure we are protecting everybody in this country. I don't wake up and somehow people [1:21:36] look and see that there's a D somewhere around my head or something. And so therefore, I am going to [1:21:44] somehow be precluded from harm becoming me. When I go out to do policy work, and I've worked on the state level [1:21:53] too. The policies that I was writing when I was on the state level are different from the federal level [1:21:59] because we have different levels of control. The one thing that we do have control of, you may have [1:22:05] recognized that the DHS secretary, as we're talking about immigration, she had to come before this [1:22:11] committee. I want to say maybe a day or two after she came before our committee because we have [1:22:17] jurisdiction over her. We don't have jurisdiction over your mayors. We have jurisdiction over her. She lost [1:22:23] her job. The DHS secretary is gone. Now, to be clear about this, the Republican president is the [1:22:31] one that put her out of her job because she was failing. So the reason that my colleagues have [1:22:38] have brought these things up, and this isn't to say that the harm and the hurt that you are feeling, [1:22:44] that you should not be feeling that. It is wrong. Again, even as a criminal defense attorney, [1:22:52] I can't tell you how many times I was begging clients to enter pleas. In fact, it literally [1:22:59] made me remember a case that I had with a guy who was a veteran. He had served this country. He ended up [1:23:10] being put on some new medication, and he also ended up drinking with that medication. Now, the medication [1:23:16] had a warning on the bottle. But he went out, he drove, and he killed someone's mother. That client [1:23:27] told me he had no criminal history. He told me over and over and over. He said, just give me whatever [1:23:34] they're going to give me. They offered him the max, which was 20 years, and I could not in good conscience, [1:23:41] knowing that a jury would not give him the max. The only reason we went to trial is because the [1:23:47] prosecutor wanted to be so greedy. That jury did not give him 20. He was willing to take 15 years. [1:23:55] I am here to tell you that it is never right to break any of our laws. So the reason that we have [1:24:03] gone down the line and the reason that we brought Mr. Romanucci is because we actually have control [1:24:09] over CBP and DHS. It's just an ice. It's just that these guys don't want to exacerbate, [1:24:18] use that control. They sit there and they allow U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens to have the rights [1:24:25] violated. And that is something within our purview. If I lived in one of your cities, [1:24:31] in fact, I am in Dallas. Dallas has a Republican mayor. To be a sanctuary city doesn't necessarily [1:24:38] mean that you provide sanctuary. It means that you're not going to do the federal government's job. [1:24:42] That's what it means. They are local law enforcement. And what it means is that they are not going to sit [1:24:48] there and do the job of federal agents. That is what a sanctuary city means. But to be clear again, [1:24:54] and I have more articles, the city of Houston was not, when you talk about someone being a sanctuary [1:25:00] city, it is an official policy that they are following. It can't be that it's one person. [1:25:06] It's the official policy of the city. Otherwise, it doesn't work if it's just one person. [1:25:11] I will yield. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your indulgence. [1:25:15] Sure. Yes. Gentleman is recognized. Thank God she won't be back next Congress. [1:25:24] But I'd like to ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record. A few different things. First of [1:25:29] all, an ICE agent struck by Renee Good's vehicle suffered internal bleeding to torso, DHS said. [1:25:35] Without objection. Next. DHS reaches more than 4,000 arrests of illegal aliens, including murderers, [1:25:42] sex offenders, gang members, and terrorists in Minnesota since Operation Metro Surge began. [1:25:46] Without objection. Another update. DHS deploys special operations after multiple violent attacks on [1:25:52] federal law enforcement by domestic terrorists in Chicago. Without objection. I recognize myself [1:26:00] for five minutes. I want to thank you all for being here. Even you, Mr. Romanucci. Thank you. [1:26:05] Thank you. Some I know it's hard to believe. I don't have the words. I don't have the words. [1:26:15] It's hard to believe that there are people in politics who give a damn. I swear to God, there are. [1:26:21] And I'm not commenting. I'm not going to comment on the other side. I'm not going to talk about [1:26:25] Republicans and Democrats. I'm not going to talk about Epstein. I'm not going to talk [1:26:29] about all the politics that's swirling around. Because so much of it, a lot of times, is BS. [1:26:36] And you know that because you've lived it. So you've had to sit in hearings and talk to reporters [1:26:42] and talk to politicians and hear all this crap. And I wish you could. I can speak for me. And I know [1:26:49] there's other members sitting up here. If you could feel our hearts. I swear to God. I know. I said in the [1:26:54] beginning it's not enough. I only can say I'm sorry. I just, you guys did a good job. You did a [1:27:02] good job. And this is no, this isn't alligator tears or any BS. I admire you for what you've done. [1:27:11] It's a big deal. And it's as hard on you because you have somebody that's so incapacitated and you're [1:27:18] there every day. And thank you for what you do because your love is so great. And I think the three of [1:27:24] you have so much faith. That's the one thing I got out of this. And thank you for that as well. [1:27:31] You know, we talked today about, and I respect the ranking member, but local government. Yeah, [1:27:37] it's local governments that are doing this. It's states and it's cities, but they're breaking the law. [1:27:43] They're breaking federal law. Mrs. Wilkins, you all said it. And frankly, [1:27:49] we've had legislation that's come before us that we have voted for, but it's not going to make it all [1:27:54] it's true. Not enough people voted for it, that those cities, those towns, those counties, [1:28:01] those states don't get their funding. And you want to see politicians run, man, you take away the money [1:28:07] that they get, they're going to run. You can't. Yes, there are states rights. And I believe in the [1:28:13] individuality, the states rights and how our constitution was set up. It doesn't allow you [1:28:18] to break federal law, number one. Number two, we had wide open borders. I mean, we just did. [1:28:27] I'm not here to, this isn't a political debate. Nobody's going to vote for or against me on anything [1:28:31] in this room today. But we did. And we let really bad people in. And somebody, you know, [1:28:39] one of our members said, well, tragedies happen and it could have been an American citizen who did [1:28:44] that. Yeah. And we couldn't help that because they're an American citizen. There was no, how did [1:28:49] we know? You didn't know, you don't know when you wake up in the morning, what somebody's going to do [1:28:53] to you or to your family, your children, whatever. But this was preventable. That's the word here. [1:28:58] So you broke the law. They broke the law and it was preventable. It didn't have to be that way. [1:29:06] And we've talked about it for years. I love immigrants. I love legal immigrants. I love so many of us, [1:29:13] our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents came here. They busted their ass to [1:29:18] make a living and to do the right thing and to be responsible. They were good people. That's not [1:29:25] what we're talking about here. And in, and you know what, an aspect of all this that we didn't even [1:29:32] mention is how much this cost us. Now there's, who cares about the money when you think of human life? [1:29:37] But even beyond that, some of these people, we have to transport them, we have to feed them, [1:29:42] we have to house them, we have to educate them. It's nothing against immigrants. And it's not trying [1:29:48] to hurt anybody. But they broke the law. And some of them are god awful. Those statistics that [1:29:56] Mr. Gillette, everybody's read today, they're real. It's not three or four. It's thousands and [1:30:02] millions were let into our country. No country has ever prevailed in all of world history when it just [1:30:09] bleeds open like that. So this hearing, more importantly, than the politics, liberal, [1:30:16] conservative, Republican, Democrat, I just wanted people to hear. And I wish every American, [1:30:23] I swear to God, they didn't have to hear us. But I wish they could just hear you. [1:30:28] That's why your job is so hard. Because you know what, when we tell truth be told, [1:30:32] yeah, we'll do some news hits, maybe, you know, Mr. Schmidt will get interviewed, or I'll get [1:30:37] interviewed, or Jasmine will get interviewed. But a lot of people aren't going to know what happened [1:30:42] here today. They're not. But you have to keep pushing. And you have to keep working. And I want [1:30:49] you to know, and I mean this, forget the BS politics, a lot of people love you for what you've [1:30:54] done. And the courage you've shown, you didn't have to do it. This is a pain coming here. And you [1:31:00] live that pain every single time you do it. And you don't know who's telling you the truth, and who's [1:31:06] BSing you. But there are people who care. And I pray to God that someday this works out. And we don't [1:31:12] keep doing this. So I thank you for that. I had a bunch of questions. I don't even have the time. [1:31:18] Mr. Chairman, may I be recognized for 30 seconds? Yes, you may. [1:31:22] Thank you so much. First of all, whether it was by intentional or by happenstance, [1:31:28] I embrace the position where I'm sitting. I hug moms like you all the time. And I do [1:31:38] feel your pain. I'm fine with where I sit in my position. Chairman, you are powerful. When you asked [1:31:47] us to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance, we all followed you. And the last words that we said [1:31:53] were liberty and justice for all. And I'm an advocate. And that's what I believe in. And I'm [1:31:59] asking this Congress, this committee, to find a common sense approach to immigration so that we [1:32:06] don't have to do this again. You don't have to come back here in a year or 10 years ever. Thank you. [1:32:12] 30 seconds for me just to answer. I probably brought, by the way, they're not laws. I probably [1:32:19] broke all kinds of rules today, just so you know, and I don't care, you know. [1:32:22] When Ms. Crockett said she doesn't have children, so she doesn't know. I mean, you can, we're not wired [1:32:28] to process the type of tragedy that we're living. We're not. There are no words. I will tell you, [1:32:34] it does feel different when an illegal immigrant kills your children than it does an American because [1:32:39] it was preventable. It feels different. Not that I know that because I have had an American kill a [1:32:45] child. But when something's preventable and your life is ruined from something that's preventable, [1:32:51] it does hit a little different than what I would imagine it would feel like just a regular casualty. [1:32:59] Loss in itself is so difficult. There's no words. Loss is loss. It is very tragic. What we're dealing [1:33:11] with when it's preventable, when these people have done something and they weren't asked to leave. [1:33:17] If I were to go to Honduras, where the woman who killed our children is from, and I would kill two [1:33:23] teenagers there, I'm not getting any rights from the Hondurans. They're not giving me rights. [1:33:30] It's different. This is preventable. So I say, I think it does hit a little different [1:33:36] when our tragedy is preventable. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Schmidt. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [1:33:42] In addition to our witnesses today, we have others who wish to be sure the committee and the record [1:33:48] know their stories. They were unable to testify, so I have some unanimous consent requests to enter [1:33:53] statements from the record. Is that an objection? I'd like to enter into the record a statement from Zoe [1:33:56] Heilig, the sister of Brady Heilig. I'd like to enter into the record a statement from Corey Heilig, [1:34:01] the sister of Brady Heilig. Without objection. I'd like to enter into the record a statement from [1:34:05] John and Deborah Hosuk, who I believe are the grandparents of Brady Heilig. Without objection. [1:34:08] I'd also like to enter into the record a statement from Agnes Gaboni, an angel mom. Without objection. [1:34:13] And a statement from Joe Abraham, an angel parent. Without objection. [1:34:16] Thank you. Yeah, you're back. Thank you, Mr. Schmidt. It concludes today's- [1:34:20] Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry. One more you see. This is from the Houston Chronicle. [1:34:25] Houston is not a sanctuary city by the definition. This is from June 30th of 2006. [1:34:32] And more specifically, just if you'll indulge me for two seconds to actually read something that's [1:34:37] actually a part of the article. It says that Houston police are required to check the warrant status of [1:34:42] everyone who is ticketed, arrested, or jailed if they- I don't think it's in order for you to be [1:34:46] reading articles here. We're going to give her a little- It's almost done. Go ahead. Just don't [1:34:50] argue. Just finish. Yeah, because you know I'm ready to- Okay. And ICE officials are given full [1:34:56] access to city jails and information collection- Without objection. Without objection. [1:34:59] By HPD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Without objection. [1:35:01] Okay. That concludes today's hearing. We thank our witnesses for appearing before the committee today. [1:35:07] Without objection. All members do have five legislative days to submit additional written [1:35:13] questions for the witnesses or additional materials for the record. Without objection. This hearing is adjourned.