Delia Ramirez WARNS Mullin over ICE detention live in front of the entire nation

[0:00] I want to be able to go through a list of them. First one, Secretary, as a former member of the [0:05] House and Senate, are you clear that members of Congress have statutory oversight authority [0:10] over federally funded detention facilities? Yes or no? I do with proper notice. When we're in a [0:17] shutdown, it takes a little bit. Yes or no? Would you retract them? Andy, Kim, and I have visited [0:23] multiple times. There is no yes or no on that. If you don't, I can sit right here and not answer [0:26] any of your questions if it's going to be yes or no because there's a backstory behind that [0:30] that Amy Kim and I talk again. 346, please. So, Secretary, are you familiar with the ICE [0:38] National Detention Standard, Standard 4, Food Service, that establishes that food and ICE [0:43] detention must be nutritious and hygienic? Are you familiar with the standard? That's a pretty [0:48] easy yes or no. Are you familiar with the standard? There are rules and standards that you're required [0:52] to follow. You've been saying this in the last 45 minutes we've been here. And still, you're [0:57] disregarding what we know, which is that you're doing the same thing that your president and [1:03] Miller want you to do. [1:04] Here's what just happened in the U.S. Congressional hearing. Representative Delia Ramirez and Secretary [1:10] Mullen faced off, with Ramirez pressing Mullen on detention center standards. Mullen initially [1:17] stuck to yes or no answers, but faced pushback from Ramirez. Key moments. Mullen refused to retract [1:24] comments about immigrant detainees' food, and Ramirez highlighted the impact on a U.S. citizen [1:30] with stage 4 cancer, Kevin Gonzalez. Here's the full exchange. [1:34] Thank you, Chairman. I appreciate it. Secretary Mullen, you have been now in office for 71 days, [1:43] and you've been in this new role in 71 days of your watch. And I'll be honest with you, my office [1:49] is getting more of the same. As you can see in the posters, I'm not going to go into details here, [1:53] because I want to really focus on questions with you. So my questions are going to be yes or no, [1:58] because I want to be able to go through a list of them. First one, Secretary. As a former member [2:03] of the House and Senate, are you clear that members of Congress have statutory oversight authority [2:09] over federally funded detention facilities? Yes or no? I do with proper notice. When we're in a [2:15] shutdown, it takes a little bit more time. I'm reclaiming my time. I want to go to the second [2:21] question here. Yes or no? Given that Senator Andy Kim was acting within his statutory oversight authority [2:28] at Delaney Hall, would you retract your comments that a senator probably shouldn't have been there? [2:34] Yes or no? Would you retract them? Andy Kim and I have visited multiple times. There is no yes or no on [2:39] that. If you don't, I can sit right here and not answer any of your questions if it's going to be [2:42] yes or no, because there's a backstory behind that that Andy Kim and I talked multiple times, [2:46] and we let him into the center that day. Thank you. I want to go on to the next one. I am the member. [2:56] I agree. We need to stop. We need to stop the clock. I said suspend. I said suspend. Okay. Again, [3:07] the members are entitled to ask questions. The witness is entitled to answer them. He is here [3:13] voluntarily. The members are entitled to ask their question. They cannot limit his answer. If they say [3:23] yes or no and it's not a yes or no question, they want to reclaim their time. Chairman, if he's [3:28] unwilling to answer, we're reclaiming and we're moving on. That's fine. You can reclaim your time. [3:33] That's fine. But do not, you get to ask the question. The witness gets to answer it. He does, [3:38] you do not get to tell him how to answer. Does he stop speaking? I'm still, it's still suspended. [3:45] Okay. But this is for everyone. Not just, this is for everyone. Not just you. Again, I will. We can add the, [3:51] because you did it. I think 10 more seconds back onto the clock. It's more like 20. [3:58] 10 more seconds back onto the clock. So we're going back to another question. Let's get it. Let's get [4:05] everything set. And then I will, I will let everything start again. 346, please. So secretary, [4:13] are you familiar with the ICE national detention standard standard for food service that establishes [4:19] that food and ICE detention must be nutritious and hygienic? Are you familiar with the standard? [4:24] That's a pretty easy yes or no. Are you familiar with the standard? Thank you. So given ICE's standards [4:29] and reports of decaying food confirmed by congressional oversight, would you retract your comments [4:35] dismissing detainees concerns about rotten food as a desire for ethnic food? Would you retract those [4:40] comments? I didn't say rotten food. I said they wanted ethnic correct food. And I said, this isn't a [4:44] holiday inn. We're not providing that. But we did release a menu. And if you saw time, if you look time [4:48] to look at the menu, it's pretty good food. So you're not retracting your comments. Okay. So let me just make sure I [4:53] clarify. These questions were important because I know it shows this. You've been in Congress before [4:57] you've been in the House and Senate. You understand the separation of powers. You know Congress's role. [5:02] You understand that there are rules and standards that you're required to follow. You've been saying [5:05] this in the last 45 minutes we've been here. And still you're disregarding what we know, which is that [5:12] you're doing the same thing that your president and Miller want you to do, which is spew this garbage that [5:18] makes immigrants criminals and that creates the standards and conditions for even children in [5:23] detention to be living in inhumane conditions. You know what I call that? I call that being a tool. [5:29] And let me tell you the impact of these actions. Kevin Gonzalez, my 18 year old US citizen constituent [5:39] with stage four colon cancer. He wanted to see his parents one last time, secretary. But you rejected his [5:47] parents' visa to come say goodbye to their son. In desperation, they came the only way that they [5:55] knew how. They tried to cross the border. And when they tried to cross the border, they were detained by [6:02] CBP in Arizona. They weren't just released so they can go back to Mexico. They sat in that detention center [6:09] for one whole month. My office, the Mexican consulate and their legal team, they worked tirelessly to ensure [6:17] that the Gonzalez family could be could be reunited because they knew that Kevin just had weeks to go [6:22] that he could die at any time. He was diagnosed in January. Kevin, I want to show you the video. This [6:34] is when he finally got to see his mother and father. Kevin went to Mexico. Hear that cry from that mother. [6:45] What you're not seeing is the father is wrapped around his son's feet, crying hysterically after a month [6:53] in detention. Secretary, Kevin died less than 24 hours after that engagement. So I want to ask [7:02] for every parent in this room, including Secretary Mullen and including my colleagues on both sides of [7:08] the aisle. Wouldn't you go at any length to be able to see your dying child one last time? You know, rejecting [7:18] visas to Kevin's family, that didn't protect our communities. Family separation, that doesn't make any [7:25] communities safer. So who then ends up benefiting from this? I'm going to tell you who benefits for [7:31] profit prison corporations. They profit from cruelty and point. And you now are operating as a secretary [7:39] inflicting cruelty and pain. And I have to say this for Kevin, for Virginia, his grandmother, who's my [7:46] constituent. We will not forget the terror of ice. And we will not forget what DHS continues to do, [7:53] even under your watch. We know that a better world is possible. We need something new. And that means, [7:59] I will say it loudly so that you could go ahead and quote it if you need to. We need to abolish ice. [8:03] And we need to dismantle DHS. And like I told your predecessor, secretary, I wouldn't get comfortable [8:11] because you have to be held accountable. With that, I yield back. [8:14] Support journalism. [8:16] First, the question that changed the room. Representative Delia Ramirez questions Secretary [8:22] Mullen about his oversight authority and the conditions in detention centers. Representative [8:27] Delia Ramirez said, first one, secretary, as a former member of members of Congress have statutory [8:34] oversight authority over federally funded detention facilities. Yes or no, this exchange highlights the [8:40] tension between legislative oversight and executive authority, emphasizing the urgency of addressing [8:46] detention center standards amid allegations of inhumane conditions. Then, the answer. [8:53] Representative Delia Ramirez presses Secretary Mullen on familiarizing himself with ice detention [8:59] standards, specifically questioning his knowledge of food service provisions. Representative Delia Ramirez [9:06] said, so, secretary, are you familiar with the ice national detention standard standard for food [9:13] service that establishes that food and ice detention must be nutritious and hygienic? Are you familiar with [9:20] the standard? This highlights the reps concern over the secretary's apparent lack of understanding of [9:26] basic detention standards, suggesting a disconnect in leadership and oversight. If you want the hearings, [9:32] the networks cut short, subscribe right now. We post them in full, and the moment everyone is sharing. [9:39] Rep. Delia Ramirez delivered a powerful closing statement, emphasizing the impact of DHS actions on [9:47] families and calling for the abolition of ice. Rep. Delia Ramirez said, we will not forget the terror of ice, [9:55] and we will not forget what DHS continues to do even under your watch. We. [10:01] Her comments highlight the human cost of current policies and the need for change, underscoring [10:08] the urgency of reform in homeland security practices. Did Rep. Ramirez call for the abolition of ice [10:16] and dismantling of DHS? Yes or no? Tell us below, like and share.