House Democrats hold hearing on ICE accountability

[0:00] chaos, end the terror, and restore rule of law. But how do Republicans spend this week making it [0:08] harder for people to vote, especially women, making it easier for domestic violence abusers [0:16] to buy a taser, handing out massive giveaways to fossil fuel companies, all while priming [0:23] a shutdown of FEMA and airport security and the Coast Guard? It is fair to say that Republicans [0:32] have lost the plot. So Democrats are going to keep beating the drum of common sense. [0:40] Kristi Noem needs to go. Stephen Miller needs to go. Federal agents need to get back to their core [0:49] mission and abide by the same rules, the same laws, the same constitution as any other law [0:57] enforcement officer. And this needs to happen today. No more delays, no more CRs, no more state [1:08] sanctioned terror. I thank you again for being here today and for being in this fight for common [1:16] sense and for security for the American people. Now, if you would please turn your attention to a [1:24] video presentation. There are 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents in the Minneapolis area, [1:31] the largest ever deployment of federal immigration officers to an American city. [1:35] This isn't policing and law enforcement as I practiced it for 25 years. We cannot let people [1:42] in our communities think that our local law enforcement is okay with the actions that [1:47] we simply know are not just only wrong, but illegal. As the last two weeks, he had been [1:52] receiving endless complaints about civil rights violations from U.S. citizens. I can hear you [1:59] don't have the same accent as me. That's why I'm asking you. Oh, so you're going by accents now? [2:02] Folks, that's Bushley policing. Five-year-old Liam Conejo-Romas taken by ICE agents after getting home [2:08] from preschool. American citizens are being grabbed or stopped or seized. This can't happen. People's [2:16] civil rights have to be the cornerstone of everything we do. All these tensions have [2:21] been building, and I'm afraid we're going to have another moment where it all explodes. [2:47] Good morning. I'm going to introduce Chief Kelly McCarthy, but before I do that, I would be rude [2:53] not to acknowledge someone from my Twin City. Reverend, it's good to have you here. The chief has led [3:00] Mendota Heights Police Department in Minnesota since 2017. She's from Dakota County, where I'm [3:07] from, so it's great to have you here. Chief McCarthy grew up and around in the neighborhood she now [3:11] serves. Her work reflects the values of those Minnesota communities. To be straightforward and [3:17] honest, to treat your neighbor with respect, to serve your community in a way you can be proud of, [3:23] and when you make a mistake, you own it and you do better the next time. Those are the values [3:29] that she led as chair of the Peace and Police Officers Standard and Training Board from 2019 to [3:36] 2023. Under your leadership, and I thank you for that, the board was tasked by the Minnesota State [3:43] Legislature to increase accountability for law enforcement in the wake of the murder of George [3:47] Floyd. The board has established a model policy for use of force, creating a database to track [3:54] officers' misconduct and comprehensively overhauling the standards and training uses. [4:00] As chair, she emphasized that these actions were essential to earning back the public's trust, [4:07] and you did just that. Our state and local law enforcement has worked hard to rebuild, [4:14] and they have earned the public's trust once again. Now, ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minnesota [4:21] do not live up to those values of our police departments and many law enforcement agencies across [4:26] the nation. Ten weeks. Our state has endured sustained, coordinated violation of our civil rights, [4:36] and it's been done by our own federal government. Minnesotans are being racially profiled on a mass [4:44] scale, unconstitutionally taken away from their homes, assaulted on our streets by federal agents, [4:51] carrying military equipment typically used in war zones. Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex [4:59] Petty, were shot and killed by federal agents with no transparent investigation taking place to hold [5:05] anyone accountable and to have confidence in that investigation. And just yesterday, a speed chase [5:12] involved in an ICE car in my neighborhood, literally blocks from where I live, caused major panic, chaos, [5:21] and almost life-threatening injuries. I'm awaiting St. Paul's report. That's the report I'll trust. [5:27] The actions of ICE and Border agents are just endangering our neighborhoods. They're undermining the trust, [5:36] as I said, that we've been working on for the past several years in Minnesota and police all over this [5:43] country. I'm calling on the same standards that Minnesota has set for our local law enforcement to [5:49] be applied to federal agents in our communities. I want to thank you, Chief, for your principled [5:56] leadership in healing our communities and being here today. And I know the chiefs of police that have spoken [6:01] out, as well as other law enforcement in Minnesota, have been the target of attacks and ridicule. [6:07] But we stand strong, Minnesota strong. Thank you for being here. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, [6:14] Leader Jeffries and participants and all the attendees for allowing me to participate in this discussion. [6:20] While I believe that we should keep the members of our community who have been personally negatively [6:24] impacted by Operation Metro Surge and ICE activities across the country at the center of our conversation [6:29] and efforts, I have been asked here today to share my perspective regarding the activities of ICE [6:35] expedited removal teams and their impacts on local public safety. Trust is essential to policing. [6:41] Since the murder of George Floyd, law enforcement agencies across Minnesota have worked relentlessly [6:46] to rebuild trust and accountability, increase professionalism, and standardize best practices. [6:52] Our officers have invested countless hours building relationships, engaging with residents, [6:56] and demonstrating a commitment to fair and respectful policing. In a matter of months, the actions and attitudes [7:03] of some federal law enforcement personnel have undermined that progress. The use of masks, disrespectful language, [7:10] excessive force, and constitutional violations that we see from some agents bears no resemblance to professional policing. [7:18] ICE agents have not communicated with our agency when operating in our city. Oftentimes, our officers only learn [7:24] of ICE activity when fielding questions regarding masked, armed men removing people from public places, [7:30] leading to everyone being frustrated by a lack of information. In the past three weeks, Dakota County agencies [7:36] have diverted resources from our core duties to deal with over 400 calls from the community regarding ICE activity. [7:42] The calls range from reports of suspicious activity in abandoned vehicles to unsafe driving, complaints, and kidnapping. [7:49] Myself and other officers watch anxiously as we see our neighboring police officers standing between [7:54] frightened community members and armed federal personnel. We absorb public anger, fear, and confusion [8:00] for actions that we did not initiate, nor can we control. Local police officers are in a no-win situation, [8:06] being called upon to de-escalate a volatile situation without the tools, information, or authority normally [8:12] required to do so effectively. The city of Mendota Heights is a very safe city. We have a low [8:19] crime rate and one homicide in the past 30 years, yet I recently met with residents who are afraid [8:25] to leave their homes and others who are afraid to open their doors or to send their grandchildren to [8:30] school. These are all legal residents whose hard-earned sense of safety has been destroyed [8:36] by the ICE deployment to Minnesota. The mission and duties of HSI are vital to our nation's security, [8:42] and we have a good working partnership with them in the past, but we have to acknowledge that the [8:46] tactics being used by some ICE agents during Operation Metro Surge are straining those partnerships, [8:52] reducing the public's trust in local police, making our jobs harder, and making us all less safe. [8:59] Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. I am Congressman Adriano Espallat, [9:18] Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and proudly representing New York's 13th Congressional [9:24] District and a proud immigrant. Today we will hear from a first-generation American, a United States [9:33] Marine, the son of a man called Narciso Barranco, who suffered a great injustice at the hands of [9:44] violent ICE agents. Alejandro Barranco was the first in his family to graduate high school and college, [9:54] and he joined the Marine Corps out of love for this nation. His father raised three sons, all of whom [10:03] chose to serve the United States Marines, two of whom remain on active duty. Their father is a landscaper, [10:13] a working man, a man who spent his days tending the lawns and the plants, now breaking the laws. He has no [10:22] criminal record whatsoever. And yet in June, during a workplace raid, he was racially profiled, was [10:31] violently thrown to the ground, pinned down by three federal agents, and repeatedly, savagely punched in [10:40] the back of the head and neck. He wasn't resisting. He was not a threat at all. Who on earth beats up on a [10:52] harmless gardener? This was not law enforcement. This was a display of unchecked power. This is [11:02] a grave injustice, and the American people deserve answers. [11:06] And I'm going to speak. [11:18] And I'm going to speak. [11:23] With that, I would like to introduce to you the son of this car, this [11:39] This U.S. hero, a gardener, someone that is here with us today and will provide testimony, Alejandro Barranco. [11:57] Thank you, members of Congress. [11:59] My name is Alejandro Barranco. [12:01] I am a proud United States Marine, and I'm here today as a U.S. citizen to talk about what happened to my family and why it should concern every American. [12:09] On June 21st, my father, Narciso Barranco, was violently attacked and detained while working a job he has held for more than 30 years in Orange County, California. [12:20] Masked men in unmarked vehicles surrounded him. [12:23] They did not identify themselves. [12:25] They showed no warrant. [12:28] Terrified, my father ran. [12:30] He was chased, pepper sprayed, beaten, and thrown into the back of an unmarked car. [12:36] My father is not a threat. [12:37] He is a working man who spent decades doing everything this country asks of you. [12:42] Work hard, keep your head down, provide for your family, and contribute to your community. [12:48] Because of his sacrifices, I became the first in my family to graduate high school and attend college. [12:54] Eventually, I enlisted in the Marine Corps to serve the country my father taught me to love and respect. [13:01] I deployed to Kabul in 2021. [13:04] Today, all three of my brothers and I have served or are serving in the United States Marine Corps. [13:09] So let me be clear. [13:11] What happened to my father did not just happen to an immigrant. [13:14] It happened to the father of U.S. Marines, and it happened to an American family. [13:20] After his arrest, my father was locked in detention with nearly 100 people. [13:25] One toilet, no showers, no clean clothes. [13:29] Later, at another facility, he went 14 hours without water in filthy conditions, and that made him sick. [13:35] Meanwhile, our family lived in fear, scrambling to find answers, legal help, and basic information. [13:44] Only after our story became public did we secure a lawyer and bring my father home on bond. [13:49] Many families never get that chance. [13:52] And when families are turned apart like this, the damage doesn't stop at the border. [13:56] It spreads through American households, workplaces, and communities. [13:59] An estimated 1 in 12 people in this country either lacks legal status or lives with someone who does. [14:07] That means these policies don't affect just immigrants. [14:10] They affect U.S. citizens, children, spouses, veterans, and service members. [14:16] My father helped raise Marines. [14:18] Others helped raise teachers, nurses, and first responders. [14:23] When enforcement becomes indiscriminate and violent, it doesn't make America stronger. [14:27] It undermines the values we claim to defend. [14:30] This system is broken, and until it changes, more American families will pay the price. [14:36] Thank you. [14:36] Thank you, Alejandro, for sharing your family's story and for your bravery. [14:45] I'm proud to be here today with my House Democratic colleagues and our witnesses who are shining a light on the lawless actions of the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and Kristi Noem. [14:55] I want to thank co-chairs Bedigan, Wasserman Schultz, and Kelly for organizing this event, [15:02] and Leader Jeffries for his leadership in making it happen. [15:05] As you all know, we're dealing with an out-of-control administration, agency, and cabinet secretary. [15:12] This year, the American public has seen how their neighbors, family members, and friends have been targeted, terrorized, assaulted, [15:19] and killed at the hands of Trump's federal immigration agents. [15:23] Our government should be doing everything we can to keep our communities safe, [15:29] yet we have seen this administration time and time again do the opposite by terrorizing and brutalizing the American people. [15:38] Recent polling has shown that two-thirds of the American people believe ICE has gone too far. [15:44] But instead of listening to our own constituents, Republicans continue to double and triple down on their dangerous agenda. [15:52] Well, Democrats are fighting back and demanding reforms at ICE and the removal of Kristi Noem. [15:58] We won't rest until it happens. [16:00] Today, I'm proud to introduce someone who understands the very real consequences of a reckless agency when there is no accountability. [16:09] Antonio Ramanucci is a civil rights attorney representing Renee Nicole Good's family in their legal battle. [16:14] Mr. Ramanucci previously represented George Floyd's family and successfully secured a record civil settlement from the city of Minneapolis and four of its police officers. [16:26] It's encouraging to know that the Good family has someone like Mr. Ramanucci in their corner fighting for justice and transparency. [16:34] Tony, thank you for being here. You're now recognized. [16:47] Antonio Ramanucci, and I'm a civil rights and tort litigation attorney with the deep honor of representing the family of Renee Good [16:54] for her tragic shooting death by federal agents in Minneapolis. [16:59] I have handled excessive force and deadly force cases across the country for decades. [17:06] When the world watched Renee Good and Alex Preddy killed without justification, [17:12] there was a collective cry of anger for justice. [17:16] My colleagues and I, like all of you, were simply aghast. [17:20] Esteemed members, thank you for holding this important forum to explore avenues to ensure accountability. [17:28] It is crucial that the policies and practices of our agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, [17:35] reflect the values and rights afforded to the American people in our Constitution. [17:40] Our Bill of Rights, specifically under the Fourth Amendment, requires our people to be free from unreasonable search and seizure of their person and their property. [17:53] When a person is detained, handcuffed, pepper-sprayed, pepper-balled, or shot, that, by definition, is a seizure. [18:03] Additionally, it is gravely concerning that this administration asserts federal law enforcement officers have absolute immunity. [18:14] That false narrative leads to law enforcement officers' potential to act with absolute impunity. [18:22] This is a slippery slope we never, ever want to sled on. [18:26] U.S. Section 42, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1871, Section 1983, gives a person a means to sue for Fourth Amendment search and seizure violations. [18:43] The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial. [18:48] Currently, Section 1983 covers all law enforcement officers except federal. [18:54] There should be a level playing field when a person has their constitutional rights violated by a federal, state, county, or local police officer. [19:06] The law must be suitable, sensible, and equitable. [19:11] Clients, friends, and people from all walks of life tell me they feel betrayed by their country and our Constitution [19:17] when it becomes clear that there is not the same avenue to justice available [19:22] when a federal officer causes harms or violates them or their loved ones. [19:29] All people must have the Bill of Rights protecting them, just like I said, the Fourth Amendment. [19:36] And more specifically, the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial, which is not available to all currently. [19:45] My wherefore clause to you is, for this panel, is this. [19:49] I urge you to support the longer-term effort to amend the now archaic statute from the year 1871, 155 years old, [20:02] to include the right to seek redress against federal law enforcement officers by adding the words, [20:09] or the United States, that's it, to the list of government agencies that we may now seek remedies from. [20:17] While this issue has been highlighted because of Renee Good's death involving a federal agent, [20:23] the need for an amendment solves a significant gap in access to justice for all Americans. [20:30] A jury trial is the ultimate bastion for truth, accountability, and justice, and that path is now blocked for some. [20:40] The Seventh Amendment is a right. It is not an option. [20:45] And the paradox, because I saw this video for the first time, ladies and gentlemen, [20:53] is that the local police officers, the ones who support our civil rights, are also held accountable if they violate civil rights. [21:03] The federal officers that we saw in that video, they are not held accountable. [21:09] And that must change. [21:10] On behalf of our clients, my colleagues, and the American people, [21:16] this one simple change levels the playing field for all law enforcement officers. [21:22] Thank you. [21:23] Thank you, Mr. Romanucci, for that powerful testimony. [21:28] The abuses that you and others describe against citizens and law-abiding immigrants [21:32] are inflicting terrible trauma on our communities, [21:35] as well as entire neighborhoods where faith leaders, business owners, [21:39] health care providers, and schools bear the brunt of this cruelty. [21:42] That's because Trump's DHS is completely out of control. [21:48] Americans are horrified by the senseless, brutal violence and tragic killings that we all saw in Minneapolis, [21:53] and the dozens of deaths in detention centers across the country that we haven't seen. [21:59] And this clearly isn't what my constituents in South Florida were promised. [22:02] Trump lied to all of us when he pledged to focus on real violent criminals, the so-called worst of the worst. [22:08] Instead, we get the killing of citizens, attacks on the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments, [22:14] innocent families ripped apart, children snatched from their homes, and U.S. citizens unlawfully detained. [22:20] All while Trump revokes the legal status of hardworking immigrants who followed the law [22:25] without a whisper of legitimate due process and threatens to send them back to failed states like Haiti and Venezuela. [22:32] Every dollar spent terrorizing TPS recipients, brutalizing Americans, or detaining children in internment camps [22:39] is a dollar not spent on real criminals. [22:43] And it's clear that the $150 billion in funding for ICE that Republicans stole from Medicare and Medicaid in the Big Ugly Law [22:51] is not being spent in line with the values Americans hold dear. [22:55] That's exactly why we'll continue to fight for dramatic changes inside DHS before any funding bill passes. [23:01] And once Democrats win the majority, we will seek a complete overhaul of these agencies and enforce accountability. [23:08] Taxpayers are sick of funding ICE brutality, and my South Florida community believes ICE shouldn't get another penny [23:15] until they reform the agency and punish its abuses. [23:19] And now we'll hear another powerful perspective on all of this. [23:23] Naina Gupta is herself a proud immigrant who spent years as an immigration and civil rights litigator [23:28] defending immigrants against unfair detention and deportation practices. [23:32] She's the policy director at the American Immigration Council, [23:36] which does critical work to uphold the due process rights of immigrants through the courts and legislative advocacy. [23:41] Naina, thank you for joining us today and for your efforts to protect our rights under the Constitution. [23:46] I welcome you to give your opening statement. [23:47] First woman, and good morning, honorable members of the committee. [23:53] While Americans watch masked officers pepper spray and shoot U.S. citizens, [23:59] and unidentified agents drag immigrant parents from cars, [24:03] the Trump administration... [24:04] It's on. [24:11] How about now? [24:13] Closer? [24:15] Okay. [24:17] The Trump administration insists it's going after the worst of the worst, [24:22] but it is the administration itself that is engaged in unlawful behavior. [24:26] From day one, it has rejected long-standing DHS policies, [24:31] pushed outdated immigration laws to their extreme, [24:35] and unabashedly violated the Constitution. [24:38] Last month, we watched federal agents break into homes without judicial warrants [24:42] in violation of the Fourth Amendment, [24:45] instructions they received directly from headquarters. [24:49] Last year, they deported hundreds to a foreign prison [24:51] with no day in court in violation of the Fifth Amendment. [24:55] And in the federal courts, they have been on the losing end of hundreds of cases, [25:01] proving that violating the law is their norm. [25:05] They've also abdicated decades of bipartisan use of enforcement priorities. [25:10] Since no one is a priority, everyone is a priority. [25:14] Long-time residents, undocumented families and workers, [25:17] TPS and DACA recipients, and racially profiled U.S. citizens. [25:21] When the White House set its target of 3,000 arrests per day, [25:26] ICE rapidly expanded the use of roving patrols and at-large arrests, [25:31] which target thousands already complying with the law. [25:35] Masked officers arrested immigrants dutifully attending court hearings, [25:40] including entire families in lobbies and elevators. [25:43] Agents are throwing into detention families who entered lawfully, [25:48] like five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father. [25:52] And in Minneapolis and Maine, ICE shipped refugees to facilities in Texas, [25:57] despite their lawful status having already faced the most stringent vetting requirements. [26:03] This abuse and chaos extend beyond our streets to our rapidly expanding detention system, [26:10] which increased by 75% last year. [26:14] The result has been appalling abuses, pregnant women denied medical care, [26:19] detained children served rotting food, and record deaths in detention. [26:24] There aren't enough immigrants with serious criminal records to hit the White House's deportation goals. [26:30] So tens of thousands are locked up despite posing no safety threat. [26:36] This agenda is only going to get worse. [26:39] The $150-plus billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is enough to turn DHS into the size of a small foreign military [26:48] and to increase the detention system by the end of this year to rival or surpass the federal criminal prison system. [26:56] Funding cuts and overdue accountability measures are necessary to slow down this agenda, [27:04] but abuse and impunity have been problems at these agencies long before Trump. [27:10] We must reform the outdated laws that opened the door to this moment, [27:15] that left millions of hard-working non-citizens vulnerable, [27:19] and that left these agencies free to defy basic law enforcement standards, [27:25] undermine our safety, and to easily violate the law. [27:29] Thank you. [27:30] Thank you, Ms. Gupta, for your testimony, for your work, and all your advocacy to all our witnesses. [27:39] It is now my honor to introduce Reverend Anthony Galloway. [27:43] Anthony is currently the pastor of Wayman AME Church in Minneapolis [27:46] and a senior partner at the Dendrus Group, where he works with teams of professionals [27:52] to build inclusion and foster creative problem-solving in the workplace. [27:56] He holds a bachelor's degree in Ethnic Studies and a Master's of Divinity from Luther Seminary. [28:02] He's also a founding member of the award-winning Counter Stories podcast, [28:07] which carries awards from the National Association of Black Journalists. [28:11] After the killings of his friend and classmate, Philando Castile, [28:15] and later George Floyd, Reverend Galloway expanded his ministry into public witness, [28:20] serving as a protest chaplain and co-launching the Bearing Witness radio program [28:26] to document the lived experiences of communities of color under a period of national unrest. [28:33] Reverend Galloway also works in faith-based organizing through Assaya, Minnesota, [28:39] by mobilizing clergy and community members to respond to pressing social, political, and humanitarian concerns. [28:47] Most recently, he organized clergy members at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport [28:53] on January 23rd to sing hymns and pray against President Trump's deployment [28:59] of thousands of ICE officers in the Twin Cities. [29:04] During this peaceful demonstration, local police arrested a dozen clergy members. [29:09] Reverend Galloway, thank you for your bravery and giving a voice to the communities who need it most. [29:16] You are now recognized. [29:21] Thank you, Leader Jeffries and members of the committee. [29:24] I stand before you today weary but resolute. [29:28] Like so many black Minnesotans, I'm a descendant of people who know all too well [29:31] what happens when the power of the state forgets the humanity of its people. [29:35] As a pastor, a father, a husband, and a citizen, I live by faith. [29:41] Faith that my children will come home safely from school. [29:45] Faith that my wife will move through her day with her dignity intact. [29:48] Faith that my congregation will find comfort and courage in the teachings of Scripture. [29:53] And faith still that this country can learn from its past and move closer to the promise of its Constitution. [30:00] But I must be honest, the last two and a half months in Minnesota have tested that faith. [30:04] Scripture tells us to love God above all and to love our neighbor as ourselves. [30:10] Yet what we are witnessing under ICE occupation bears no resemblance to those values. [30:15] I have personally been stopped and aggressively confronted by ICE agents while escorting frightened neighbors. [30:21] Encounters that only de-escalated when they saw my clergy collar and decided in their words that I was not Somali. [30:28] I have watched families who did everything right live in terror because of their skin color, their accent, or their faith. [30:36] And I have attended too many vigils. [30:39] Our churches and local organizations have spent too many resources holding communities together [30:44] after acts of unnecessary force carried out for spectacle, for talking points, and for cameras. [30:51] We are weary in Minnesota, but do not confuse our weariness with weakness. [30:56] To quote the response of an elderly woman to Dr. King when offering to let her ride during the march to Montgomery, [31:03] our feats is tired, but our souls are rested. [31:06] Like the 97 clergy who were arrested in a prayer at our MSP airport. [31:11] Or the thousands upon thousands who descended upon downtown Minneapolis on the coldest day of the year. [31:17] To everyday people who, even as we speak, are making their voices heard while feeding each other [31:23] and doing what humans should do according to the word of God. [31:28] Now, this is not a request to litigate immigration policy. [31:31] It is a moral appeal. [31:33] Are we a nation that condones violence for political gain? [31:37] Or are we a nation that chooses mercy over fear and power? [31:40] I would hate to meet my maker, and when asked how I made the world better, [31:45] my answer was that I ripped children from their homes, broke the jaws of elders, [31:51] dragged Somali girls on the ground, or shot citizens observing their aggressions. [31:57] That is a far cry from what Christ teaches. [32:00] Abraham Lincoln warned this nation in 1862 when addressing Congress that the fiery trials [32:06] through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. [32:12] And today, we ask you to do the same. [32:15] Remove ICE from Minnesota and vote not to add funding to their operations. [32:21] If not for our own conscience, then for those generations still to come [32:25] who will be defined by how we treat each other today. [32:29] Thank you. [32:40] Well, thank you, Chief McCarthy, Reverend Galloway, Mr. Barranco, Ms. Gupta, [32:46] and Mr. Romanucci for your presence here today, for your powerful testimony, [32:53] and for your advocacy during this perilous moment in our country's journey. [33:01] ICE is totally out of control, and they need to be reined in. [33:07] And the American people know it. [33:11] Mass and untrained ICE agents are kidnapping law-abiding immigrant families, [33:18] violently targeting American citizens, or taking people like Leon Ramos in his bunny hat [33:29] and Spider-Man backpack, kidnapping him and transporting him halfway across the country. [33:39] They're ripping U.S. citizens from their homes without warrants, dragging people in Minneapolis [33:51] and in Minnesota, frigid temperatures, not giving them the opportunity to even get dressed, [34:00] violently detaining people in their own neighborhoods, demanding that they show papers [34:07] as if we were in another country during another era, shoving them into vehicles [34:16] and arresting them based solely on the color of their skin, their appearance, or their language. [34:22] They're even shooting American citizens in the street in broad daylight, in cold blood, [34:33] without any justification, and then claiming that there would be no accountability. [34:41] This is not America. [34:45] And so we're thankful for your presence and your courage, [34:51] and for standing up to make clear that things have to dramatically change. [34:58] This is unconscionable, unacceptable, and un-American behavior that we are seeing from ICE, DHS, [35:08] and the Department of Homeland Security at the direction of the Trump administration. [35:16] For those in ICE custody, we also know that 2025 was the deadliest year in more than two decades, [35:24] with over 30 reported deaths. [35:30] First two months of 2026, there have been at least four more deaths in ICE custody, [35:37] including what clearly appears to be at least one homicide. [35:44] And yet, Kristi Noem and Republicans in Congress have done everything that they can [35:50] to illegally obstruct oversight by this body and to shield the wrongdoers from accountability. [36:02] Tragically, last month, Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, [36:05] was murdered by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, [36:10] shot five times without justification in her family vehicle [36:13] that was filled with her young child's toys. [36:21] Some of her last words, the so-called agent who killed her in cold blood, [36:28] I'm not mad at you, dude. [36:33] She was there exercising her rights as a citizen and was killed as a result of it. [36:41] She should be home with her family and loved ones right now. [36:47] Alex Preddy was an ICU nurse at the VA, [36:51] dedicated his life to serving those who dedicated theirs to this country in uniform. [37:01] He was also a lawful gun owner with a permit. [37:07] That's protected by the Second Amendment. [37:10] And was there petitioning his government to do better and express himself. [37:17] That's protected by the First Amendment. [37:21] He was filming violent behavior by a group of so-called law enforcement agents [37:26] and trying to come to the rescue of someone who was being brutalized by ICE and DHS agents. [37:35] They tackled him to the ground and then shot him in cold blood ten times. [37:46] How did Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, Republicans, and the administration respond? [37:54] They called law-abiding American citizens domestic terrorists. [38:01] This is not America. [38:03] This is not who we are. [38:04] This is not our values. [38:05] We know that immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane. [38:12] That is not what ICE is doing. [38:15] It is not what the Trump administration is doing. [38:18] They are not going after violent felons who are here unlawfully. [38:22] They are brutalizing and killing American citizens [38:25] and violently targeting law-abiding immigrant families who are contributing to this great country. [38:35] The tactics are cruel, unacceptable, corrupt, and unconstitutional. [38:39] You know, rubber-stamp Republicans refuse to do a thing about it. [38:46] House Democrats are not going to be deterred on behalf of the American people. [38:50] We'll continue to show up and stand up and speak up for what is right. [38:53] Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, [38:59] not brutalize or kill them. [39:01] And that's why we know that ICE needs to be dramatically reformed. [39:09] And absent meaningful, bold, and transformational change, [39:17] the DHS funding bill cannot and will not be allowed to go forward. [39:23] Thank you, and I yield back. [39:28] Thank you, Mr. Leader. [39:29] We'll go to member questions. [39:31] Just want to check with my co-chairs first. [39:33] Any questions? [39:36] Ranking member Benny Thompson from Homeland Security, you had the first question. [39:40] Thank you very much, Madam Chair. [39:46] Reverend Galloway, your comments must have had significant impact. [39:57] Tom Holman just announced that his plans are to reduce Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. [40:07] Thank you very much. [40:11] But that doesn't erase the challenges that we confront. [40:21] Chief McCarthy, I want to talk a little bit to you about your experiences as a 28-year law enforcement person. [40:32] Can you share how the tactics you are seeing ICE and CBP in Minneapolis compares to the training you received as a law enforcement officer? [40:47] Thank you so much for that question. [40:53] So the tactics that we are seeing from some ICE agents bear no resemblance to how we, as professional police officers, are trained or how we are expected to carry out our duties. [41:06] From the general demeanor to the widespread use of chemical agents on people just observing, just engaging in their constitutionally protected behavior, it is not something that we teach in Minnesota, nor is it something that would be accepted in Minnesota. [41:29] So do you believe that by carrying on the way they have, they inflame tensions and escalate situations? [41:43] Yes, sir. [41:44] And you have to acknowledge after the murder of Melissa and Mark Fortman by a police impersonator, [41:52] tensions were already very high in regard to ununiformed law enforcement to where many of us changed our tactics, [42:02] where I drive an unmarked car, I stopped making traffic stops in the wake of those murders. [42:07] And so their tactics bring up a special kind of local and recent trauma. [42:15] Well, thank you very much. [42:18] And my last comment is you're here with a uniform on, you have a nameplate on, you don't wear a mask. [42:30] That has been a real problem for many communities. [42:38] Do you see ICE not identifying who they are, not wearing nameplates or ID or uniform contributing to the problem? [42:48] Yes, sir, I do. [42:50] Thank you. [42:51] Thank you, Rep. Thompson. [42:53] Now we have Ranking Member Garcia of Oversight. [42:58] Well, thank you. [42:59] I want to just begin just thanking our leadership to you, Mr. Leader. [43:02] Thank you for your leadership on this and also to our co-chairs for convening us here today. [43:07] When we talk about folks like Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Christine Noem, Stephen Miller, Tom Homan, and Greg Bovino, [43:14] these are people that need to be held accountable for the crimes they're committing, [43:18] for the terror they're causing on our communities, [43:20] and all of them should be on notice that we will hold them accountable. [43:25] Now, Oversight Democrats are partnering with our other committees to ensure that ICE, CBP, and DHS [43:33] are held accountable for the terror that's happening right now in American cities across the country. [43:39] Now, our report on the deaths of Rene Good and Alex Freddie have found that the shootings themselves [43:44] have been completely, completely unjustifiable, [43:47] and we identified clear efforts to obstruct investigations by the administration. [43:52] Oversight Democrats have also launched an immigration enforcement dashboard. [43:55] There are now over 530 incidents on that dashboard that's online, available to the public, [44:03] and the public can also submit possible interactions with ICE [44:08] and possible actions that are deportations or detentions that could be unconstitutional. [44:14] If it's a deny people, they're, of course, due process. [44:17] Now, we've also convened, as Oversight Democrats, a hearing in Los Angeles [44:20] and partnerships with the Senate to highlight stories, some of which we've heard today. [44:26] And I want to highlight one that we just discussed last week, [44:29] and there's been more developments that have actually happened here just in the last few days. [44:33] We heard testimony from an American citizen who was shot by a CBP officer, [44:40] her own government, and who then smeared her as a domestic terrorist. [44:44] Now, her name is Miramar Martinez. [44:45] Her courage is an inspiration. [44:47] Now, we showed this graphic, which I think is important. [44:50] This is a graphic, basically, of some texts that the CBP agent that shot her was bragging about. [44:56] And I want to just read them because I think it's important. [44:58] This is the CBP agent that shot an American citizen. [45:02] Read it. [45:03] Five shots, seven holes. [45:06] I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes. [45:09] Put that in your book, boys. [45:11] Oh, well, it is what it is. [45:13] And excuse my language, shit happens. [45:15] This is text messages from the officer that shot a United States citizen bragging about putting seven holes. [45:26] She is permanently disfigured, Ms. Martinez is. [45:31] It's sick. [45:32] It's suspicable. [45:33] It's shameful. [45:34] And that officer should have been, of course, immediately investigated and fired. [45:37] But it gets worse. [45:39] After this incident, Mr. Bovino then sends an email to the shooter. [45:44] And this, by the way, is new information. [45:47] We didn't have all this information. [45:48] We're just discovering this now. [45:51] Greg Bovino then writes to the shooter, in light of your excellent service to Chicago, you have much left to do. [46:00] Good afternoon. [46:00] I'd like to extend you an offer for your retirement beyond the age of 57. [46:05] This will be your second extension, and we'd like you to consider if this is feasible. [46:09] He goes on to talk about his excellent service and thanks him. [46:14] This is the man that puts seven holes in a United States citizen. [46:16] It's outrageous, and it's a green light to attack other American citizens in our country with impunity. [46:23] The evidence is clear. [46:25] This is an agency that is rotten from top to bottom, and we know the folks that are responsible. [46:31] But thanks to the leadership of House Democrats, our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and those folks and leaders that are here, we're going to hold these folks accountable. [46:42] To conclude, I just want to say to Mr. Barranco, I know that you have Orange County roots, and certainly the incident that happened happened in Orange County. [46:49] It's an area that I know really well, and I'm from Long Beach, and so I know the story of your family. [46:54] You served this country, and the Marines, thank you for your service. [46:59] If you had fired on civilians like this, like I just explained, would you have been congratulated by your commander, sir? [47:07] I believe not. [47:08] I believe I'd be court-martialed and probably accused of a war crime. [47:13] That's exactly right. [47:14] You would have been held accountable for a potential war crime, sir, if you had bragged about shooting someone like that. [47:20] And I want to thank you for your family service, for your service as well. [47:23] We're all here today to demand more accountability from ICE, and with that, I yield back. [47:33] Thank you so much, Madam Chair, and thank you to our Democratic leadership, Hakeem Jeffries and others, for convening this very important hearing. [47:42] As ranking member of the Immigration Subcommittee, this has been a central focus of my work, the lawlessness of ICE and CBP and DHS. [47:51] And we have on the Immigration Subcommittee and in conjunction with House Democrats on Judiciary and across the caucus, we've held a series of six hearings, including one in Minneapolis, where Chief McCarthy, thank you for testifying, including one where Ms. Gupta testified as well, about the lawlessness that we are seeing. [48:12] Because I think it's very difficult to look at the situation right now and see the 73,000 people who are held in for-profit immigration incarceration facilities every single night, every single night. [48:29] And even by ICE's own statistics, if you just take those statistics, less than 14% of those are people that even have any kind of violent criminal offense. [48:40] And so when you look at the violations that have been done, I think it becomes very clear that these are agencies that operate with absolutely no accountability, way too much funding, and a culture of lawlessness. [48:55] And so, Mr. Barranco, I want to go to you because I think one of the things that is hardest to get at here is the impact on people. [49:04] These are not just numbers. These are real people. [49:07] You are a remarkable example as a Marine who served your country, and to see your father violated in this way, I want to know what the impact is on you as a human being, as a Marine who has served your country, and on others across the country who are watching this and feeling much of the same thing. [49:30] It's definitely sad, and you get a sense of betrayal because people like myself and others who I've served with have this picture of our government or doing the good thing and enjoying our service, loving our country, loving our flag. [49:59] And then we come home, or maybe we're not home, and these things are going on in our communities. [50:06] It's just not right, and it's not something that I would have ever thought I would have lived. [50:12] I thank you for your service, sir. [50:15] Ms. Gupta, I have to come to you because we're talking about essential reforms that we need to make right now. [50:22] We're talking about judicial warrants, as Mr. Romanucci has talked about. [50:28] There are a series of things that have to happen in order to rein in DHS, ICE, and CBP. [50:36] I want to know your opinion on what some of those essential pieces are. [50:39] Thank you, Congresswoman. [50:40] So on the point about warrants, it's first important to reiterate that ICE and Border Patrol are entering homes without judicial warrants, which violates the Fourth Amendment. [50:50] They are also abusing their authority to make arrests using administrative warrants, [50:56] and it's critical that Americans understand that administrative warrants are pieces of paper written by ICE itself. [51:03] The fox guarding the hen house is the way a judge put it. [51:06] Exactly. [51:07] These are not pieces of paper that are written by a judge, by a more neutral decision maker. [51:12] And in a moment when ICE agents are facing pressure from the White House to make 3,000 arrests per day, [51:18] and they themselves can write up a warrant supposedly claiming they have probable cause, [51:23] it opens the door to the kind of abuse we're seeing now, which is roving patrols at large arrests where warrants are being drafted up in the moment or even after. [51:33] And so what that means going forward is that we need to think seriously about amending the Immigration and Nationality Act [51:40] to require that warrants be issued by some form of a judge, [51:45] some more neutral decision maker who 24 hours before an arrest determines whether there is in fact probable cause [51:53] that a person is in violation of civil immigration law. [51:56] That is so absolutely critical that we have a broad definition for judicial warrants being required. [52:01] It is already the law that you need a judicial warrant to enter into somebody's home, but that is obviously being undermined. [52:09] I thank you all so much for your testimony, and I yield back. [52:12] And also, Rep. Espyat, I went out of order. [52:17] Rep. Espyat. [52:18] No, Rep. [52:19] I have to call on one ID. [52:22] Well, thank you, and I appreciate the opportunity to have a chance to catch up with you all today. [52:32] I apologize for getting here late, but I want to thank Steering and Policy for putting this together. [52:38] I want to thank Leader Jeffries for his outstanding leadership on this issue. [52:43] I just saw as I was waiting for my turn to come up that Homans announced that they're going to start withdrawing from Minnesota, [52:53] and maybe that's done to try and impact votes that are coming up. [52:56] But the message I think we want to make sure we send is that that's not enough. [53:01] You have to be held accountable for what you've done there, the individuals who've done this, whether it's in Minnesota or across the country. [53:08] And Mr. Garcia pointed out the shocking statements that some of these guys are making. [53:13] And I think it reflects a mentality that is really corrosive in the entire body, [53:20] and part of why we either need to just abolish it or overhaul it, and why Ms. Noem needs to go. [53:26] But at the end of the day, whether they leave Minnesota or not, they can run, but they can't hide. [53:31] They're going to be held accountable for what they've done, and we need to make sure that that happens. [53:36] One of the things that we did, I put a letter together. [53:38] Another 57 colleagues joined it, demanding that the administration turn over the evidence in these shootings, [53:44] not just the two most prominent ones, but in all of these cases, there need to be investigations. [53:48] And because it's clear the federal government's made the Department of Justice and the Trump administration [53:54] and Department of Homeland Security essentially announced from the beginning that they were just fine with what these guys were doing, [54:00] we need to make sure that it goes to the state prosecutors and the state investigators so that they can do the work. [54:06] And the other reason I want that to happen for sure is I'm tired of these Donald Trump pardons. [54:12] You know, after he pardoned all of the guys, what is it, 1,500 that invaded the Capitol, [54:16] raided the Capitol, killed, led to the deaths of police officers here, [54:21] we know that he's not responsible with respect to using the pardon power. [54:25] Let's take it away from the federal government. [54:27] The states can do it. [54:28] If there are convictions at the state level, he can't pardon those guys. [54:32] So the message I want to make sure we get out today to all of those ICE agents and Border Patrol agents [54:39] who are out there on the streets still, whether they leave Minnesota or not, you're going to be held accountable. [54:45] And when you are, I think it's going to lead to criminal prosecution and convictions. [54:50] And Minnesota has demonstrated that they certainly have the ability to do that. [54:54] The convictions of Derek Chauvin, I think, were representations of what great work [54:59] from an investigative and prosecutorial standpoint was done there. [55:03] And if these guys aren't careful, they're going to end up being roommates with or cellmates with Derek Chauvin. [55:10] And they should be. [55:12] It's critical for us to make sure we prosecute them and hold them accountable where they have committed crimes, [55:17] because that is the way to send the message across to all these guys out on the streets, [55:22] the guys that are shooting people and bragging about it, putting seven holes in a woman's body and leaving her permanently impaired, [55:27] and bragging about that, it's outrageous. [55:30] But that's not just the only one. [55:32] And one last point before I yield back, because I know we've got a lot of people that need to go before we vote. [55:37] It's not just the shootings. [55:38] It's not just the violence on the street. [55:40] It's also the deaths in custody. [55:43] You know, it's astonishing how many people. [55:45] I think we had six die last month, which is more than an entire year previously in the prior administrations. [55:51] And then there were over 30 last year altogether. [55:54] We should never have deaths in custody. [55:57] And I shouldn't be detaining these people long term anyway, because they're not, [56:00] they don't have the facilities or the training to do it right. [56:03] And the horror stories that we've heard about people who've been held in custody, [56:07] you know, lack of food, lack of medical attention or access to medical care, [56:11] can't get to their lawyers, people sharing, like dozens of people sharing one toilet, is outrageous. [56:17] We've got a pet shelter in my district. [56:19] Their animals are treated better than that. [56:22] So I think we want to make sure that we hold them accountable. [56:26] And thank you all for moving forward with this. [56:28] And I thank you for your testimony today. [56:30] Next, we have Ranking Member Raskin, followed by Rep. Bishop and Rep. Bonamici. [56:35] And we've got to stick to three minutes so people can vote. [56:40] Thank you, Congresswoman Kelly. [56:43] Thank you all for coming. [56:46] And I'm especially happy to see our friends from Minnesota here. [56:49] Chief McCarthy, so we've seen extremely aggressive tactics being used by ICE in Minneapolis. [56:57] First of all, everybody's masked. [56:59] Guns are drawn for apparently no reason at all. [57:02] Extremely aggressive, bellicose rhetoric used against citizens. [57:06] And I'm wondering if you saw those tactics being used by your police officers, what your response would be and how those kinds of behaviors conform to the best police practices. [57:22] Thank you for that question, sir. [57:23] Any police department in Minnesota, if an agency witnessed those behaviors from their police officers, would immediately launch an internal affairs investigations. [57:36] And if an agency failed to do so, those investigations could also be launched at the state level. [57:43] But what are the specific kinds of tactics that have given you pause or made you say, hey, we would never take that? [57:52] So, for instance, the masking, the not identifying yourself, the verbal abuse. [57:59] Well, they say they've got a mask because somebody could go online and attack them or they could be doxxed. [58:05] Isn't that true of police officers in Minnesota, too? [58:08] Yes, sir. [58:09] Okay. [58:10] What else has troubled you? [58:12] The detaining and harassing and intimidation of legal observers, the use of chemical agents on observers, the entry into private spaces without a warrant. [58:27] You would accept none of those things? [58:29] Correct. [58:29] Those would be grounds for serious discipline or investigation and then possibly discipline for your officers. [58:37] Well, I appreciate that. [58:38] Mr. Romanucci, there you are. [58:41] So our heartfelt condolences to the good family, which is still struggling with this nightmare. [58:49] Yesterday, I don't know if you noticed, but Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the Judiciary Committee. [58:54] And one of the things I asked her, of course, one of the things she didn't answer, which was pretty much everything, was what has her outreach been to the good family? [59:04] Has there been any attempt to reach out to the good family to work with them and to see that this case be solved? [59:11] Representative Raskin, I can answer that very clearly. [59:14] There has been no outreach at all from our United States government, from the Attorney General's office or Department of Homeland Security to the Renee Good family. [59:24] And is it true that they're trying to investigate the grieving widow of Renee Good? [59:31] Well, what we do know is that we've asked, we have asked for the government to preserve all the evidence in this case. [59:38] They are not responding to us. [59:40] So we don't know of any investigation. [59:43] If anybody needs to be investigated, it is the shooting officer. [59:47] We have been begging the government to respond to our letters of preservation and to inspect the vehicle. [59:52] We have zero response. [59:54] Thank you. [59:55] And I yield back, Madam Chair. [59:56] Thank you. [59:57] Rep. Bishop. [1:00:01] Thank you very much. [1:00:02] Let me thank all of the witnesses for coming. [1:00:06] I appreciate so very much your patriotic commitment. [1:00:13] Mr. Barranco, what message do you think that DHS's actions, [1:00:19] ascending to other sons and daughters of immigrants who aspire to serve their country? [1:00:25] I believe it's an unwelcoming message and maybe a message that they receive as they're not accepted or they're not welcome in the forces. [1:00:39] Ms. Gupta, thank you so much for your efforts and what you do and your organization does. [1:00:49] From your observation, how has the Trump administration been attacking and dismantling the legal immigration system? [1:00:58] Thank you, Congressman. [1:00:59] The President's attacks on legal immigration have been unprecedented. [1:01:04] He has banned nearly all immigration from 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority. [1:01:10] And the State Department has indefinitely suspended approving immigrant visas from an additional 53 countries. [1:01:18] According to the Cato Institute, roughly half of all legal immigration at this point has been banned or suspended, [1:01:27] including nearly 90 percent of African immigrant visa applications. [1:01:32] Since December, hundreds of thousands of non-citizens from travel ban countries who've submitted applications for benefits and paid their fees [1:01:41] have been told that USCIS will not decide their applications at all. [1:01:46] And so to my colleagues' comments, this is the definition of not welcoming people who are following the rules into our country. [1:01:53] Thank you. [1:01:55] And Mr. Romanucci, how does the Goud case compare with other law enforcement shootings that you've worked on in terms of legal challenges and accountability? [1:02:07] All of the shootings that I've dealt with, the deadly force cases throughout the country, they're all tragic. [1:02:12] However, this one does raise particular challenges because we do not have a clear path in suing the shooting officer directly. [1:02:22] We have the ability to file a claim against the federal government under the FTCA, but we cannot hold the officer accountable. [1:02:32] And to Representative Garcia's point, when he held up that poster board, that is the definition of an officer who cannot be held accountable and acts with impunity. [1:02:45] That is literally the poster child for what we saw. [1:02:49] So that challenge in and of itself leads to all of these constitutional violations day in and day out. [1:02:56] So we have challenges, but we need to overcome them. [1:02:59] Thank you very much. [1:03:01] My time has expired, but I want to thank all of you for your courage in coming forward. [1:03:06] Thank you. [1:03:07] Thank you. [1:03:08] We have Rep Bonamici, followed by Rep Scott, and Rep Carter. [1:03:13] Thank you to steering and policy committee, but thank you to all of you for being here. [1:03:17] This is an incredibly difficult time, and I'm grateful that you took the time to be here. [1:03:21] I'm going to get straight to the point. [1:03:23] ICE is not making us any safer. [1:03:25] So last week, I was at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, and I was shown a section of the detention center that I was told, [1:03:32] this is for people who have no criminal record. [1:03:35] And so I asked them, why are you detaining people with no criminal records? [1:03:39] They didn't have a good answer. [1:03:41] And while I was there, I met Maria, Trinidad lawyer, Medina. [1:03:45] And I made arrangements to meet her after her sister-in-law said, I don't know what to do. [1:03:50] My sister-in-law is in custody. [1:03:51] So here's what happened. [1:03:52] Maria went to the store to get her teenage son some socks. [1:03:56] There's no indication that she was targeted. [1:03:58] She's Latina. [1:03:59] She was in her car. [1:04:00] She was surrounded by armed, masked agents. [1:04:04] She held her identification up to the window, but that wasn't good enough. [1:04:08] They broke her window. [1:04:09] They dragged her out. [1:04:10] They handcuffed her, and they took her to Tacoma, where she has been, for almost a month. [1:04:15] She has no criminal record. [1:04:17] She was racially profiled. [1:04:19] She has letters of support. [1:04:21] I read letters of support from her pastor, her community. [1:04:25] She pays taxes. [1:04:26] She files tax returns. [1:04:28] There's no reason why she should be in detention. [1:04:32] Her husband just had surgery on Monday. [1:04:34] She was in detention. [1:04:35] Her kids miss her. [1:04:36] Her community misses her. [1:04:38] Her family's calling for her release. [1:04:40] She's the primary caregiver. [1:04:41] This is a mom, not a murderer. [1:04:44] She's raising children, not trafficking them. [1:04:46] Why are they targeting someone like Maria? [1:04:47] So I want to ask you, Ms. Gupta and Mr. Romanucci, is there any legal justification for keeping someone like Maria, [1:04:55] who's never even had as much as a traffic ticket, in a prison-like detention center? [1:05:00] There's certainly no humane or normative reason to do that. [1:05:04] Unfortunately, our outdated immigration laws do permit immigration enforcement agencies to arrest, handcuff, [1:05:12] and detain people who are in violation of civil immigration law, even when they have no criminal offenses. [1:05:20] However, under bipartisan administrations, we've always used enforcement priorities, [1:05:26] which have focused arrests on people who pose a safety threat. [1:05:31] And most ICE enforcement in the past happened near state and county local jails and prisons. [1:05:37] This agency is using at-large arrests, roving patrols in our streets, [1:05:42] necessarily sweeping in people like your constituent who don't pose any safety threat, [1:05:47] even if they may allegedly be in violation. [1:05:50] It makes no sense to be using yours and my taxpayer dollars to keep someone like Maria in detention. [1:05:56] And I want to ask you, Mr. Barranco, Maria has kids at home. [1:06:00] She has a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old. [1:06:03] What would you say to them? [1:06:07] Say, I'm sorry for what they're going through, and they're not alone, and we understand their situation. [1:06:13] No, this is a family trying to do the right thing, and it's shameful and inhumane what's happening, [1:06:20] not only to Maria's family, but to families across the United States. [1:06:24] This is an out-of-control agency. [1:06:26] Christine Ohm should resign or be impeached. [1:06:28] Thank you, and I yield back. [1:06:30] Thank you, Rep. Scott Carter and Horsman. [1:06:34] Thank you, Mr. Romanocci. [1:06:36] Thank you so much for pointing out the gap in our civil laws. [1:06:40] If local and state officials, officers, violate basic constitutional rights, [1:06:49] they can be held accountable under 1983. [1:06:52] There's no comparable law for federal officials. [1:06:56] So thank you for pointing that out, and hopefully we can correct that. [1:07:01] Thank you, Representative Scott. [1:07:02] Ms. Goff, traditionally some localities have been considered too sensitive for routine immigration enforcement. [1:07:10] such as courthouses, churches, schools. [1:07:14] Can you talk about the effect of routine immigration enforcement on students and teachers [1:07:21] when immigration comes to our schools, and if they're addressing any kind of safety threat? [1:07:28] Congressman, so when we have federal immigration enforcement agents at schools or daycares [1:07:36] or, frankly, at churches or courthouses, it has a chilling effect. [1:07:41] That's why we've seen in places like Minneapolis students afraid to go to school, [1:07:46] school districts being forced to provide learning virtually because of our government's actions. [1:07:53] And in the past, the agencies have had internal policies that prevent immigration enforcement [1:07:58] in these sensitive locations, primarily to avoid those kinds of harms to young people [1:08:05] and our students who are there to learn. [1:08:08] This administration has abdicated those policies, and so now it is incumbent upon Congress [1:08:14] to use the appropriations process and our legislative process to codify restrictions [1:08:20] on enforcing immigration laws in sensitive locations, including schools and daycares. [1:08:26] And students are entitled to an education regardless of their immigration status, [1:08:31] which creates another complication. [1:08:34] Chief McCarthy, obviously you need a warrant to enter someone's home without their permission. [1:08:40] Have any of your officers sought permission from a supervisor [1:08:43] and used to try to pass off that permission as a warrant? [1:08:51] I'm sorry, have my officers ever done that? [1:08:53] Have you ever thought of using that, call that thing a warrant, a permission slip from a supervisor? [1:09:00] No, sir. [1:09:01] How is that different from what ICE is doing? [1:09:04] I don't believe it is, sir. [1:09:06] Thank you. [1:09:08] You're back. [1:09:08] Thank you. [1:09:09] Next we have Carter. [1:09:12] Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. [1:09:16] These harsh policies from the Trump administration are not about public safety or border control or border safety even. [1:09:27] We've seen children torn from their parents, a flagrant disregard for basic due process protections [1:09:33] and individuals targeted for exercising their First Amendment rights. [1:09:39] Congress must uphold the rights of all people in the United States. [1:09:43] We need immigration policies rooted in dignity, fairness, and due process, not cruelty and authoritarianism. [1:09:52] Chief McCarthy, your officers issue warrants, don't they? [1:09:59] Our officers do not issue warrants. [1:10:01] I mean issue arrests. [1:10:02] I'm sorry. [1:10:02] Go after individuals who are wanted for a crime. [1:10:07] Yes, sir. [1:10:08] We make arrests. [1:10:08] They often show up on the scene with domestic violence. [1:10:13] They often encounter people that may not like police officers. [1:10:18] That is correct. [1:10:19] Yet they don't wear masks. [1:10:21] That is also correct. [1:10:22] They wear badges. [1:10:23] Correct. [1:10:23] They wear name tags. [1:10:25] Yes, sir. [1:10:26] Why can't ICE do that? [1:10:28] I do not know, sir. [1:10:30] Because they have nefarious acts. [1:10:32] Because their intention is not truly to enforce the law but to terrorize. [1:10:36] And that's unfortunate. [1:10:38] Thank you for the incredible service that you and your people provide. [1:10:42] Mr. Barranco, thank you for your service to our country and the Marine Corps. [1:10:47] How has your father's horrific experience with ICE changed how you feel about the country that you serve? [1:10:57] It hasn't changed, how do you say it, like, in a bad way, I guess. [1:11:06] It's just I'm not, this isn't how I expected this country to turn out or be. [1:11:13] And it's definitely sad right now in these times. [1:11:17] But I do believe that things will get better and we won't have this injustice for much longer. [1:11:22] That's the message we want people to know, that it will get better. [1:11:25] That this is not indicative of the America that we love. [1:11:28] This is not who we are. [1:11:31] And good people like you demonstrate that every day. [1:11:33] Ms. Gupta, what justification is the administration giving for targeting, targeting of anybody who simply speaks different, has a different shade of skin, and suggests that they may be an immigrant? [1:11:51] To be frank, Congressman, they're really not offering much justification at all. [1:11:56] They've used terms like criminal immigrant and the worst of the worst as a pretext to go after any non-citizen, and now those U.S. citizens who are protesting and exercising their First Amendment rights against their actions. [1:12:11] The administration is trying to use outdated laws to justify going after people with legal protections. [1:12:18] They're poking holes in the legal protections that are more vulnerable for people like TPS or DACA holders. [1:12:24] So where they can, they're stretching the law, and in other places, they are unabashedly violating it. [1:12:31] And they are using, frankly, lies and misleading information to justify those actions. [1:12:36] And they're asking us to look at the truth in the face of their lawlessness and to ignore it and just believe them as we see them killing people on the streets of America as if we're stupid and we're not. [1:12:51] So thank you all for being here. [1:12:52] We will continue to fight with you until we solve this problem. [1:12:55] I yield. [1:12:56] Thank you, Rep. [1:12:57] We'll have Horsford, then Waters, Rivas, and Ruiz, and Menendez. [1:13:03] So I was on Horsford. [1:13:05] Thank you to Co-Chair Kelly and to our Democratic leadership for having this important hearing. [1:13:10] I want to start by thanking our witnesses for being here. [1:13:14] I have seen the lack of accountability inside these ICE facilities firsthand. [1:13:20] Last August, I sought to exercise my right as a duly elected official to conduct an oversight visit of the Nevada Southern Detention Center, [1:13:29] a privately operated facility run by CoreCivic under contract with ICE in my district. [1:13:36] Despite providing ample notice and clearly identifying myself and my staff, we were denied entry, labeled security risks, and had local law enforcement called on us. [1:13:47] That's not transparency. [1:13:49] It's not accountability. [1:13:50] It's obstruction and abuse of authority. [1:13:53] Three weeks later, when I was finally allowed inside, what detainees shared with me was deeply troubling. [1:14:01] Limited access to immigration attorneys, inconsistent medical care, and transfers across state lines in the middle of the night without notice or explanation. [1:14:12] Yet, when I returned to the same facility last week, I saw little meaningful change. [1:14:17] This, despite a $75 billion slush fund that Republicans passed in their one big ugly bill with no guardrails, no oversight, or transparency. [1:14:28] Funding without accountability is not reform. [1:14:31] It is complicity. [1:14:33] Ms. Gupta, as an immigration and civil rights litigator, you understand how constitutional protections apply, even in detention settings. [1:14:42] What I described earlier in Nevada is not unfamiliar to you. [1:14:46] Would you agree that Immigration Enforcement Authority does not override constitutional due process protections? [1:14:54] Congressman, the Fifth Amendment applies to citizens and non-citizens, and it applies to immigration enforcement agencies who are required to follow the Fifth Amendment. [1:15:06] And in your professional experience, are these incidents isolated, or do they reflect broader systemic patterns within immigration detention facilities? [1:15:16] Yes, the abuse and horrific conditions that you are describing are endemic to the immigration detention system. [1:15:24] Long before President Trump, there have been dozens of OIG reports, hundreds of civil rights and civil liberties complaints filed, [1:15:33] and horrific conditions that I myself have seen for dozens of clients I've represented in facilities around the country. [1:15:39] Thank you. [1:15:40] When this administration obstructs lawful visits, disregards due process, and expands detention without accountability, [1:15:50] it is not strengthening public safety. [1:15:52] It is weakening the rule of law and actually putting more people into danger. [1:15:57] That is why this hearing is important. [1:15:59] That is why we cannot give another dime to ICE without bold and transformative change, and that is what we should all be working towards. [1:16:10] With that, I yield back. [1:16:14] Thank you. [1:16:15] We will now go to Representative Raul Ruiz. [1:16:20] Thank you very much, Chairwoman. [1:16:22] Chairman, what we are seeing is an out-of-control ICE and CBP. [1:16:29] The violence and brutality is meant to intimidate and to control, and it's wreaking havoc, chaos, and fear throughout communities. [1:16:41] It is outrageous that they are violently targeting non-criminal immigrants, [1:16:48] and brutally, aggressively pushing, kicking, pepper-spraying, tear-gassing, as well as even killing U.S. citizens. [1:17:02] In my district, there are complaints that young men are being pulled over without cause simply because they're brown [1:17:11] and aggressively being asked, where are your papers? [1:17:17] Where U.S. citizens are living in fear and needing to carry their passport with them. [1:17:25] And when they see the brutality and the violence on TV against other citizens, they're afraid for their lives. [1:17:33] ICE and CBP are not making our country safer. [1:17:37] They're making it more dangerous, and people are afraid, and that's the intent. [1:17:43] The cruelty is the point. [1:17:45] And if they're willing to behave violently in public when the cameras are on, [1:17:53] one can only imagine how they behave in detention centers behind closed doors. [1:18:02] What we do know is that there's an alarming rise in deaths, [1:18:08] and last year was the deadliest year for people in ICE and CBP custody in over 20 years with over 56 people dying. [1:18:21] And already, I believe it's seven just this last month, this year. [1:18:26] And so we're hearing stories of individuals who are being abused violently, [1:18:35] individuals who complain of not being able to take showers, wash their hands, [1:18:42] not enough food or water to drink, [1:18:45] individuals who are not allowed access to their medications to keep them healthy. [1:18:50] So I wanted to ask you a question, Mr. Barranco. [1:18:55] Your father was detained, and what did he describe his conditions inside detention to be? [1:19:05] He said it was terrible. [1:19:07] He said they were locked up in a cage, over 70 to 100 people, one toilet, no showers. [1:19:14] They were all in the same clothes that they were detained in. [1:19:17] And we have a measles outbreak in South Texas, and so you're going to see more of these things. [1:19:25] And so that's why I've introduced the Humanitary Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act [1:19:32] to prevent deaths and to protect human dignity. [1:19:36] Thank you. [1:19:37] Thank you, Representative Ruiz. [1:19:42] We have Representative Maxine Waters. [1:19:48] Thank you very much. [1:19:49] Let me just thank the panel for being here today to not only help us to understand what we must be committed to. [1:20:00] We must be committed to making sure that this country that supposedly has a Constitution that protects us all [1:20:10] lives up to the Constitution and not have it thrown out of the window, [1:20:15] spit on, stepped on, by the President of the United States, who is at the top of all of this. [1:20:22] He is the one that is empowering ICE to do what they're doing. [1:20:27] I have a district that is majority Latino. [1:20:31] We're under attack. [1:20:34] ICE is at all of our big box stores. [1:20:37] It is at the schools, intimidating the parents and separating the children from the parents. [1:20:44] It is going to people's homes, trying to get in illegally. [1:20:49] And I want to tell you that this is more than simply police officers. [1:20:55] These, I believe, are domestic terrorists in the same way that they attacked the capital of the United States of America. [1:21:06] These are the kind of tactics that are being used. [1:21:09] It is absolutely heartbreaking to watch these cowards throw someone to the ground, step on them, knee them, and several of them join in. [1:21:23] I mean, six, seven, eight, ten on one person, kneeing them in the face, stomping them, et cetera, et cetera. [1:21:29] And so this is something that we've got to deal with, and deal with in ways maybe we haven't dealt with things before. [1:21:38] Now, I trust Hakeem Jeffries. [1:21:41] I trust our leadership. [1:21:44] And they're going to negotiate. [1:21:46] They're going to do the best job that they can. [1:21:48] You heard them talk about accountability. [1:21:51] Accountability. [1:21:52] They mean that. [1:21:53] And so I'm going to work very closely with them, but I'm going to be on the street also. [1:21:58] I'm not just a legislator. [1:22:00] I'm not just an organizer. [1:22:02] I'm an activist. [1:22:04] And I will be on the street. [1:22:06] I'm on the street in all of the protests. [1:22:08] And I want to tell you, we're not afraid of them. [1:22:13] They, the last protest that I was at downtown Los Angeles, they turned the tear gas on us. [1:22:18] But we had a woman with a blower, and we had fans, and we just blow the tear gas away and keep coming and keep going. [1:22:28] And that's what it's going to take. [1:22:29] It's going to take all of us confronting this issue. [1:22:35] And you can see signs of success based on watching what happened in Minneapolis. [1:22:42] Terrible murder that took place of Alex and Ms. Good. [1:22:46] And I want to tell you, Trump blinked. [1:22:50] He blinked when he pulled out the border security that they had there. [1:22:54] We've got to stay on the street while the negotiations are going on. [1:22:59] And we have a minister here today, and I don't know if you understand black ministers. [1:23:04] Reverend Anthony Galloway talked about a combination of fight and prayer. [1:23:10] Now, I'm going to ask him to lay hands on. [1:23:12] Now, they don't know what I'm talking about when I say land zone. [1:23:15] But you know I've got a lot of radicalism in me, and you perhaps lay a few hands on me. [1:23:22] Because I want to tell you, our children are not going to school. [1:23:27] Our parents are not able to go to work. [1:23:29] They can't go shopping and buy food. [1:23:31] And with the kids not going to school, we lose money. [1:23:35] Because the money is allocated based on daily attendance. [1:23:38] That means all of the students are being jeopardized by what is happening with ICE in our communities. [1:23:47] And so we've got to be dedicated to the proposition that no matter what this president tries to do, [1:23:54] and we know he doesn't care about the Constitution. [1:23:56] We know that Steve Bannon told him to use racism as a way by which to win. [1:24:02] And we know that the president of the United States said we ought to get rid of the Constitution. [1:24:07] So we know what we're dealing with. [1:24:09] So this is not about being nice. [1:24:11] This is not about being easy. [1:24:14] This is tough fighting. [1:24:16] And we've got to do that. [1:24:17] So, Reverend Anthony Galloway, you know, you need to lay hands on because I'm up in arms, okay? [1:24:26] Tell them what you mean by laying hands on. [1:24:28] In addition to prayer, covering all of these things in prayer, you know, I think one of the things that we don't talk about [1:24:36] is the organizing that's happening on the ground amongst multiple coalitions that are attending to these folks. [1:24:40] When these students are not in school, they're at our churches. [1:24:43] We have clergy who are constantly on the front line attending to folks with the protest chaplains, with tear gas wipes in there. [1:24:51] I carry around tear gas wipes with me at all times when we're on the ground. [1:24:55] But we also have our Dakota folks and our First Nation folks who are on the ground because the land remembers. [1:25:02] And so they're in constant prayer and vigil. [1:25:04] We're helping to keep our eye on the prize, so to speak, in that regard. [1:25:08] But then the last thing I want to also share with what you have mentioned here is that when these folks are going around [1:25:16] in these so-called spaces that are supposed to be sensitive and protected spaces, [1:25:20] what we're not talking about is how ICE is doing slow rolls. [1:25:23] Now, if anybody who comes and knows what in gang areas that slow rolls are to intimidate folks, they're kind of scared outside. [1:25:30] So when we had a protest at the Whipple Building, the site of one of the concentration camps for Dakota peoples in the state of Minnesota, [1:25:37] when the clergy began to walk out, they had a riot line in place. [1:25:42] But when the Minnesota National Guard, who was there to help protect us, us, [1:25:46] and we walked up and they saw the stoles, they saw the clergy collars, [1:25:49] they hurried up and pulled the riot line back because they did not want that visual site to come in there. [1:25:55] So we're not just talking about the direct violations. [1:25:58] We're talking about the methods for intimidation that clergy is in position to try to help call out. [1:26:05] We're daring them in the protests at the MSP. [1:26:07] We're daring them to kind of show us who they are. [1:26:09] And so there's this tactic that's going back and forth. [1:26:12] So when we're lifting things up in prayer, we're in prayer for all of those things, too. [1:26:16] Well, thank you so much for being, for all of our panelists for being here today. [1:26:20] And I want you to know these negotiations are going to be tough, [1:26:24] and I want you to know some of us are going to stay on the street. [1:26:27] I went to a detention center. [1:26:29] They slammed the door in my face, but I'll keep going back every day if I have to, [1:26:34] and I have the time to do it. [1:26:35] Thank you all so very much. [1:26:36] Thank you very much. [1:26:39] I will now recognize Representative Rivas. [1:26:43] Thank you to Leader Jeffries and to our steering and policy co-chairs for organizing this important hearing, [1:26:50] and thank you for the panelists for presenting today. [1:26:53] You know, this conversation is personal to me. [1:26:55] I represent the East San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, [1:26:59] and since last June, the Trump administration and his ICE forces have sowed chaos [1:27:05] by racially profiling and targeting my constituents in my district. [1:27:11] We have seen street vendors assaulted, day laborers abducted, [1:27:15] and even an 18-year-old high school student that was detained and separated from his mother [1:27:20] just because he was walking his dog in his neighborhood. [1:27:23] Reports have showed that the beautiful and diverse community of Panorama City in my district [1:27:30] has been the hardest-hit community in all of Los Angeles County, [1:27:35] with over 40 ICE-related arrests and kidnappings since last August. [1:27:42] And unfortunately, these raids are still ongoing. [1:27:45] We hear about them every week from constituents. [1:27:48] And in addition, hundreds of small businesses are being negatively affected by ICE [1:27:55] with the loss of customers, less foot traffic, and reduced daily sales. [1:28:00] And not just immigrant-owned businesses, but all small businesses in these communities are being affected. [1:28:07] These reports also state that what we already know and feel about communities like Panorama City in my district, [1:28:15] the Trump administration and ICE tactics are destroying small local businesses, families, [1:28:21] and the social fabric of our communities. [1:28:24] I've heard from health clinics about missed appointments, schools and places of worship [1:28:30] that are seeing declines in attendance. [1:28:33] Unfortunately, this is not just happening in Los Angeles. [1:28:36] This is lots of cities where ICE is intimidating and kidnapping people. [1:28:42] I know that working together, you know, we can push back against ICE [1:28:48] and reunite families that have been torn apart and protect our communities. [1:28:54] Reverend Galloway, have you seen a decline in attendance at your weekly services, [1:28:59] or have you heard of other places of worship? [1:29:02] Can you talk about the harmful effects that ICE has had on our communities? [1:29:06] Yes, directly to not just my congregation, but we're hearing this from clergy all the way around [1:29:12] that are seeing those declines. [1:29:14] But I also want to call out the targeted nature of some of this intimidation. [1:29:19] Trying to break the backs of some of the organizing coalitions, [1:29:22] that decline in our congregations also leads to decline in some of the dollars that we amass [1:29:28] to support the communities who can't go to work, who can't go out and get food, [1:29:32] the businesses that are going to mutual aid work. [1:29:34] We're here, one of the members of a tow company that's helping us to work together [1:29:39] to address the cars that are left behind. [1:29:42] And we also are starting to see predatory activities from tow companies [1:29:46] who are waiting and following ICE around so that they can put these cars, [1:29:50] reducing the amount of time you have to get your car before auction, [1:29:53] trying to break the back of these organizing groups. [1:29:56] And so we're seeing that happen directly in our area. [1:29:59] Yeah, thank you for bringing up also the mutual aid organizations. [1:30:03] I recently visited Minneapolis for a hearing. [1:30:06] I know Chief McCarthy was there and was very inspired by the communities in Minnesota [1:30:14] that are working together, including places of worship. [1:30:19] I'll continue to call for Secretary Noem's resignation, the need to dismantle ICE, [1:30:24] and continue to hold this unhedged administration accountable for the terror that they're causing. [1:30:29] Thank you, and I yield back. [1:30:32] Thank you, and now we recognize Representative Menendez. [1:30:34] Thank you. [1:30:37] It's important that we're all here today. [1:30:39] I appreciate all the panelists for being here and for all the work that you've done the last 13 months [1:30:44] in these trying times. [1:30:45] What we've said from the beginning of the Trump administration is that no one's safe in Trump's America. [1:30:49] It's impacted California, New Jersey, Chicago, and most recently, Minnesota. [1:30:54] And we've seen the harm firsthand to what's happening in all of our communities, [1:30:59] and we know that the threat is real. [1:31:00] And despite the administration announcing today that they're withdrawing from Minnesota, [1:31:06] that one, that the threat continues across the country, [1:31:10] and second, that there's an immense amount of repair that we have to do in all of our communities [1:31:14] that have been directly impacted by this administration. [1:31:17] We also have to say every day how the Trump administration has lied [1:31:20] about who they are going after in our communities and what they are trying to achieve. [1:31:24] Ms. Gupta, can you talk about ICE's own data in terms of who is being detained across the country [1:31:29] and whether they have criminal records and what those criminal records look like? [1:31:34] Congressman, so in Trump's first nine months in office, [1:31:37] there was an over 2,000 percent increase in the number of people with no criminal record [1:31:44] held in ICE detention on any given day. [1:31:47] So nearly all of the detention system growth we've seen [1:31:51] has been driven by arrests of people with no criminal record. [1:31:55] Right now, there are fewer than 1 in 10 people with serious criminal offenses [1:32:00] sitting in these facilities. [1:32:02] And these are, again, facilities where the administration is denying people access to release, [1:32:08] denying them access to court hearings to say, [1:32:10] hey, I don't pose a safety threat, I shouldn't be in here. [1:32:14] So the numbers speak for themselves. [1:32:16] This is an agenda that is going explicitly after people who pose no safety threat at all. [1:32:23] I want to build off that. [1:32:24] There's two things that are happening simultaneously. [1:32:26] One is the administration is trying to create the largest undocumented population [1:32:30] by the lapsing of TPS, the reversal of parole status in the country. [1:32:34] And they're also expanding their detention capability across the country. [1:32:38] We're seeing it in New Jersey and Roxbury, where the community and the state is pushing back against it. [1:32:43] But can you talk about those two things happening simultaneously [1:32:46] and what that means for the future of enforcement in the country and what we can expect? [1:32:49] Yes, so we went into this administration with approximately 11 to 13 million undocumented people [1:32:57] in need of a way to get right with the law. [1:33:00] This administration has indicated its intention to strip temporary protected status from 1 million people. [1:33:08] They are actively taking away lawful protections that were given to people by the United States government [1:33:15] so that they could work with authorization. [1:33:17] These are folks who are following the rules, and that means they are actively adding to the number of people [1:33:24] on any given day who are now at risk of arrest, detention, and deportation, [1:33:30] rather than fixing or reforming our laws to offer these folks ways to get right with the law. [1:33:36] And I'll just say these are folks who are paying their taxes, who are contributing meaningfully to our communities, [1:33:42] to their families. [1:33:42] These are the folks that they're targeting by taking away status [1:33:46] and then moving them into this enforcement machine. [1:33:50] I appreciate it. [1:33:50] And listen, we're going to stay vigilant. [1:33:52] We know that doesn't end when Secretary Noem is removed. [1:33:54] Stephen Miller continues to be a threat. [1:33:55] The president continues to be a threat. [1:33:57] And we will continue to provide oversight here in Congress. [1:33:59] Thank you all so much. [1:34:01] Thank you. [1:34:01] And I recognize Representative Omar. [1:34:06] And thank you all for being here today and for sharing your testimony. [1:34:09] For those of you who don't know me, I represent Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. [1:34:18] Minneapolis is home. [1:34:21] And, you know, the pain of what we are experiencing is going to be everlasting. [1:34:28] And I try to tell my colleagues we are a community that has been through a lot of trauma. [1:34:34] And the re-traumatization is something that is going to have an overwhelming impact for generations to come. [1:34:46] Chief McCarthy, thank you so much for being here. [1:34:49] I know that when you last testified in Minnesota, we chatted a little bit about the challenges that already existed with trust when it came to law enforcement with folks in Minnesota. [1:35:06] And I'm just curious, with the breaking of norms that we have seen with federal law enforcement, [1:35:16] can you talk a little bit about the impact that you're experiencing and what you think the lasting impact is going to be as you try to rebuild trust in your community? [1:35:29] Thank you for that question, ma'am, of course. [1:35:31] So since 2020, we've done a lot of work to try to rebuild that community trust. [1:35:37] In the short weeks that ICE has been present in our community, that trust is broken. [1:35:45] And it's broken in a way that hadn't been broken before on this wide of a scale. [1:35:51] And so our residents are wanting us to now interfere with federal investigations. [1:35:58] And then when we can't, they are upset and rightfully afraid. [1:36:04] We also have cities in an effort to do something, enacting ordinances, dictating that ICE cannot use public spaces. [1:36:12] And there's debate on whether or not those ordinances can be enforced. [1:36:17] So we're creating expectations and laws that might not be able to be enforced, which will have a lasting negative effect. [1:36:25] Yeah, I appreciate that. [1:36:27] And Reverend Galloway, I've been talking to a lot of clergy of all walks of life. [1:36:34] And many of them, you know, I was at a Catholic church and the pastor was telling me that 80% of their prisoners are not showing up. [1:36:45] So if you, for a minute, can talk about what that experience has meant, and then also as somebody who was close to someone who's lost their life to the hands of law enforcement, [1:37:02] what that now also feels like having this sort of occupation in our cities. [1:37:08] Yes, thank you, and thank you for being the representative in the area for the church I serve. [1:37:13] Sabahuan Asen, good morning. [1:37:15] One of the things that I think is really important about the re-traumatizing piece of this, [1:37:20] in addition to our ability to keep mutual aid flowing, the money that we have to spend to get folks back home after being wrongly kidnapped [1:37:27] and removed from our area before their due process can be enforced, is the repeating pattern. [1:37:33] And I want to stress that we've been in the so-called remove or reduce before, and I want to push us to know that that's always been a ploy, [1:37:43] and that actually causes an increase in some of that trauma and that anxiety, because we know the pattern has been whenever there's a specific win [1:37:51] or that folks feel like the wins have changed against them on this force, they'll pull back on one day, wait for everybody to blink, and then come back in force. [1:38:01] We see that after the pullback the last time, there's been an actual escalation on the ground. [1:38:07] That is the pattern that ICE has been doing in addition to roaming and intimidating folks outside of churches, [1:38:14] particularly churches whose mutual aid has been successful. [1:38:17] So that's been that experience, and that's something that keeps happening over and over again. [1:38:22] And we're trying our hardest to keep folks kind of with the eye on the prize. [1:38:25] We saw we had thousands of people downtown, left downtown Minneapolis cleaner than we founded at the organization of many faith leaders [1:38:32] and coalitions like Isaiah and things like that. [1:38:34] But then there's the rebut, there's the response to that that always comes after. [1:38:40] So even in that drawdown, I have texts right now of folks hunkering down because they feel like the backlash is going to be even higher [1:38:48] every single time there's a supposed drawdown. [1:38:50] Yeah, thank you so much. [1:38:53] And Ms. Gupta, if the supposed idea of this immigration crackdown is supposed to be that we are going after, [1:39:07] as they say, the worst of the worst, or people who are here undocumented or have orders of removal, [1:39:14] how do we explain the thousands of people who are showing up for their immigration hearings and being captured there? [1:39:27] That's right. [1:39:29] We can't explain it. [1:39:30] What it does is underscores the absolute pretext of this agenda, [1:39:34] which is that they've used terms like criminal immigrants and worst of the worst, [1:39:38] which are dehumanizing to really paint every non-citizen and any citizen that supports them as a criminal. [1:39:45] And that is proven by the fact that they have been waiting now for months at immigration courthouses [1:39:51] to arrest families in elevators and lobbies who are following the rules. [1:39:55] They have politically pressured immigration judges to dismiss cases and expedite the removal of people who deserve a fair day in court. [1:40:04] As Congressman Menendez mentioned, they are taking away protections from people who have those, [1:40:10] which, again, underscores that this is not an agenda about the worst of the worst. [1:40:15] It never was. [1:40:16] Those were terms used to pull the wool over the eyes of American people who thought they would be going after somebody [1:40:22] or people who pose threats to us when that is just not the case. [1:40:26] And then, if I may, just one last question. [1:40:31] We know that, especially in Minnesota, when people get picked up, [1:40:36] they are oftentimes remaining in that detention center for an hour to three before they are taken to some other state. [1:40:44] How are you all able, in that process, able to track and get information to, you know, [1:40:56] to inform the families and to know where actually these people end up? [1:41:00] It's incredibly difficult, and in most instances right now, impossible. [1:41:06] The agency is not using their online locator. [1:41:10] These holding facilities, which you are describing, are not even formal detention facilities. [1:41:15] People are disappearing into those facilities and then into the system. [1:41:19] And so the only way we get access is when all of you make visits and push entry into these locations, [1:41:27] when there are lawyers who are finally given access, who report out on what they see inside, [1:41:33] that is the only way we have been able to inform family members [1:41:37] and understand what is happening at these supposedly temporary holding facilities [1:41:42] that have really just become horrific detention centers on their own. [1:41:46] I appreciate that. [1:41:47] What you all are describing sounds like a government trying to enforce a law in the most unlawful way. [1:41:55] So I appreciate you all. [1:41:56] Thank you. [1:41:56] Thank you. [1:41:58] I will now recognize Representative Juan Vargas. [1:42:01] Thank you very much. [1:42:04] I want to thank the Democratic Steering – is this one on? [1:42:07] Yeah, great. [1:42:09] I want to thank the Democratic Steering Policy Committee, co-chairs, [1:42:12] and Democratic leadership for convening this important hearing. [1:42:15] And I have to say that this administration is simply out of control, and ICE is out of control. [1:42:21] I represent the San Diego area, the border area. [1:42:24] And the things that we're seeing there now and the things that we're fearing are going to happen are really drastic and dramatic. [1:42:32] And, again, I want to thank all the people that are here. [1:42:35] And it's interesting because watching what has happened in Minneapolis, you see the worst of the worst happen there. [1:42:45] Again, the murdering of innocent people. [1:42:47] But it's interesting. [1:42:48] You also see the opposite also. [1:42:50] You see the best of the best. [1:42:53] I mean, I'm thinking of John 15, 13, you know, where Jesus says, [1:42:58] There's no greater love than this, that someone lays down their life for a friend. [1:43:04] And I see two individuals who saw their friend in people that didn't look like them, [1:43:13] saw the community in people that didn't look like them, and they're willing to put their lives on the line. [1:43:19] And, unfortunately, their lives were asked to them when they died, protecting the friend, the neighbor, the community member. [1:43:27] And, again, it's been interesting for me to see that division. [1:43:33] You have the worst of the worst, but you also have the best of the best. [1:43:38] And I want to thank people out there that are doing that, the people that are putting their lives all along, [1:43:43] the people that are whistling, the people that are trying to figure out how to help the mother, the child, [1:43:51] the person who's just trying to live their life. [1:43:54] And I appreciate it, and I appreciate all of you. [1:43:56] But, Pastor, I've got to ask you, where's the rest of the church? [1:43:59] Where's the rest of the Christian community? [1:44:03] I mean, you know, we see it a little bit in San Diego. [1:44:05] Honestly, we do, and I appreciate that. [1:44:07] But where's the rest? [1:44:08] I mean, where is the faith community here? [1:44:11] This is where they should be standing up on their hind legs and saying, what is going on here? [1:44:15] I mean, some have, and you have, and I appreciate you here. [1:44:18] But where's the rest of the church? [1:44:20] Where are the rest of the believers? [1:44:22] Well, I want to tell you that most of our parishioners are on the streets and on the ground. [1:44:25] Ninety-seven of the clergy that were arrested at Minneapolis Airport are only a small handful of the people who have been gathering around. [1:44:32] We've been organizing mutual aid. [1:44:34] We've been organizing people who are watching schools. [1:44:37] There are pink and orange vests around schools on a daily basis, making sure that all that happens. [1:44:42] All of these are parishioners and our members. [1:44:44] But we've also, quite frankly, had to put ourselves in front of folks. [1:44:48] Many of us escort people who we know are going to be targeted around just because we know they give a little bit of pause, [1:44:54] except for one of our colleagues was put into an ice van and told, asked repeatedly, is he scared yet? [1:45:00] Are you scared yet? [1:45:01] During this occupation. [1:45:02] So we are out here, but I think one of the important pieces is there's a using of a certain type of interpretation of the Bible [1:45:11] that removes all the things that Jesus said and adds all the things that they want to make it say in order to perpetuate this stuff. [1:45:20] And many of those folks, thankfully, because of the grace of God, are starting to find new churches. [1:45:24] Well, I have to say that in San Diego, we also have wonderful pastors like yourself, wonderful parishioners. [1:45:31] In fact, they accompany people to the courthouse, they accompany people to school, they're taking other people's children to school. [1:45:37] They're doing all those things. [1:45:40] But then you have, I hate to say it, but almost the worst of the worst, too, in the sense of the church, [1:45:44] that are not doing anything, or just the opposite, they're complicit in this horrible thing that's happening. [1:45:52] And those are the ones I was asking more about, Pastor. [1:45:55] Where are they? [1:45:56] I mean, to me, it really is shameful. [1:45:59] It's a shameful moment. [1:46:00] You know, for those of us that believe in God, you know, those of us that believe in a God of love, [1:46:06] those of us that believe that, you know, he is with, you know, the least among us, it's shameful. [1:46:14] It's a shameful moment. [1:46:16] But I want to appreciate all of you guys. [1:46:18] And I do want to ask, I said, you know, one of the best of the best, Renee Nicole Good. [1:46:22] I mean, honestly, she put her life down, you know, for others, for her friends, for her community. [1:46:28] And I know you're representing her. [1:46:29] How can we hold these federal agents accountable? [1:46:33] How can we hold the federal government accountable here? [1:46:35] Well, you have to really start with looking at the legislation. [1:46:39] As I said, the Civil Rights Act, which was enacted in 1871, it's 155 years old now. [1:46:46] We need to make it so that our people can sue federal law enforcement officers on the same equal footing as any other agency. [1:46:59] Chief McCarthy has to hold her officers accountable for any civil rights violations. [1:47:05] Federal law enforcement officers are not held accountable for civil rights violations right now. [1:47:12] And that's what causes them to act in the way that we saw on this video, over and over, consistently, repeatedly, violating people's constitutional rights. [1:47:24] And then you have our Deputy Attorney General saying, we're not going to investigate. [1:47:30] The lack of an investigation creates a lack of facts. [1:47:34] It creates no impetus at all for a criminal investigation, let alone a civil one. [1:47:40] And it creates hurdles that we can't overcome sometimes. [1:47:45] And I agree with you, and I know that a number of us are working on that and hope that we're going to be able to get a vote on that, because I think that that is essential. [1:47:53] Thank you. [1:47:53] I mean, it is incredible that we can't hold people accountable in our own country when you see these sorts of things that, really, 10 years ago, I never would have thought that we were going to see what we're seeing today. [1:48:04] It really is almost unimaginable. [1:48:06] And I appreciate all that you've been doing and others. [1:48:08] I also want to thank you for your service, for your father. [1:48:13] I know I saw the videos, obviously, and I want to thank you again for your service. [1:48:19] And, you know, many of us who are descendants of immigrants that didn't come long ago, you know, I think a lot of us saw your dad and my dad. [1:48:29] You know, my dad is a hardworking person, would do anything for his family to try to help, to get him ahead. [1:48:35] And, again, to see how they treated him and how they treated you. [1:48:39] I want to apologize for the federal government as much as I can. [1:48:43] I wish the president would. [1:48:44] But I want to apologize for how they treated your dad and how they treated you. [1:48:49] Would you like to comment on that? [1:48:52] Thank you. [1:48:53] Thank you, sir. [1:48:53] Thank you. [1:48:54] And, again, thank you for your service. [1:48:56] I appreciate it very much. [1:48:57] Again, I just want to say this again. [1:49:00] For all of you out there that are, you know, involved in helping, I appreciate you deeply. [1:49:06] And those of you that don't look like the people that are getting arrested, I appreciate you even more. [1:49:11] I did get in an argument recently with someone in San Diego who said, you have this white savior complex. [1:49:20] And I said, are you kidding me? [1:49:23] I mean, are you kidding me? [1:49:24] Just think how much love someone has to have to try to help people that don't look like them, that they see themselves in the people that they're helping. [1:49:36] Just think how beautiful that is, that that's part of the community. [1:49:40] Be thankful. [1:49:41] And so I'm thankful for all of you that are helping out there that don't look like the people that are getting arrested. [1:49:48] The people that are getting trampled on. [1:49:49] Thank you for what you're doing. [1:49:51] And I appreciate it. [1:49:51] And I hope the church, the other churches, get involved. [1:49:55] You know, it's shameful, the ones that are not. [1:49:57] But I appreciate the ones that are. [1:49:58] Thank you. [1:49:59] God bless you. [1:49:59] And thank you. [1:50:00] Appreciate it. [1:50:01] Great. [1:50:01] Thank you. [1:50:01] I now recognize Representative Panetta. [1:50:05] Thank you, Chair Ferrigan. [1:50:07] And thanks to the steering of policy and Leader Jeffries for organizing this and leading on this issue. [1:50:13] I also want to thank, obviously, the witnesses for taking the time to travel here, to be here, [1:50:17] to prepare for this and to be a part of this. [1:50:20] As you can tell, this is something that is of great, great concern to Democrats in Congress. [1:50:27] And that is why you're here to not just have an effect on us today, but hopefully, hopefully, [1:50:34] share your stories, which will affect all members of Congress going forward. [1:50:39] Again, my name is Jimmy Panetta. [1:50:40] I'm from the central coast of California, the 19th Congressional District. [1:50:45] Obviously, we have a lot of beauty and we have a lot of bounty there. [1:50:48] But mainly, our bounty is because of the people. [1:50:52] That's our biggest product that we have, the most valuable product that we have. [1:50:57] And yes, documented and undocumented, to be frank with you. [1:51:01] That is how our agriculture is the number one industry. [1:51:04] That is how our hospitality continues to thrive to a certain extent. [1:51:08] It's how many other small businesses thrive. [1:51:10] And so we realize how important, based on the history, but also based on our economy, [1:51:16] on our culture, on our society, on our community, but also on our humanity, what we're about, [1:51:22] how important immigrants are to what we stand for in the 19th Congressional District and how proud we are. [1:51:29] One of the things that I think all of you understand, especially Chief, [1:51:34] I'm going to focus most of my questions with you, if that's all right, it's about trust. [1:51:39] It really comes down to trust. [1:51:42] I think if there is a word to sum up what we're seeing and how we're feeling [1:51:48] and what we know of what makes our community stronger, especially when it comes to immigrants, [1:51:53] it's about trust, developing that trust. [1:51:56] And as a former prosecutor, before my time in Congress, being in courts, dealing with law enforcement, [1:52:04] fighting for justice, fighting for victims, making sure people were held accountable appropriately. [1:52:11] In our community, immigrants played an important part in that. [1:52:15] And the trust that we had to build with immigrants play a crucial part in that. [1:52:22] Because unfortunately, as many criminals know, immigrants can be very vulnerable to crime [1:52:29] because they are afraid to come out of the shadows a lot of time. [1:52:35] And they are in certain communities that unfortunately criminals prey on [1:52:39] because they know the immigrants will not come out of the shadows, especially if they're in an undocumented status. [1:52:46] Unfortunately, now what we've seen in our communities, it's not the criminals that are preying on immigrants. [1:52:52] It's DHS, it's ICE, and it's CBP officers that have been preying on immigrants, [1:52:57] that have been trolling these parking lots of big box stores, [1:53:01] basically confronting anybody who doesn't look like them, [1:53:06] who looks to be from what they feel is a foreign and another country. [1:53:12] Like I said, it's this type of trust that unfortunately is being broken, [1:53:20] absolutely broken because of these actions by federal agents, federal officers. [1:53:27] And it takes trust in order to make people understand and our community understand. [1:53:33] And as I'm sure you would agree, Chief, that your number one goal, as we all know, [1:53:39] is to protect and to serve, not to attack, not to harass, not to kill, but to protect and serve. [1:53:47] So, Chief, I'm wondering if you could comment on how the tactics of ICE and CBP in your community [1:53:56] are affecting the trust that you need, not just to do your job to protect and serve, [1:54:03] but how it affects the trust of the immigrant community, how they can play a part in our system of justice. [1:54:10] Thank you for that question, sir. [1:54:13] The tactics being employed is they are eroding the trust, as you mentioned. [1:54:20] If the government does not play by the rules, if police officers do not play by the rules, who plays by the rules? [1:54:29] And so, while our immigrant communities, we've made inroads, we've built trust, and this is slowly eroding it, [1:54:36] we are also demonstrating to them our commitment to them by promising that they can contact their local police departments, [1:54:44] and we will do everything that we can to de-escalate a situation. [1:54:47] However, the longer this goes on, the more that trust will wither away. [1:54:54] We are also seeing the trust being eroded in communities that perhaps wasn't the case, [1:55:01] where we have fellow white people that had trust in law enforcement that once they have interaction with ICE agents [1:55:12] that is so negative, they were radicalizing them to a certain extent, [1:55:17] that people who had always trusted law enforcement are now starting to call that into question. [1:55:21] And they're taking that out on you and your officers? [1:55:24] So, they can. [1:55:25] This will be, we will get through this, and once we do, we will have a lot of harm repair to engage in. [1:55:32] Yeah. [1:55:32] One of the things that I used when I was a prosecutor, [1:55:36] especially with immigrants who are here in an undocumented status, [1:55:38] was you and T visas, basically giving them the opportunity to say, [1:55:44] like, look, if you cooperate with us, if you come in and talk to the police and testify in court, [1:55:50] we're going to give you the opportunity to be legalized here, which I think is completely fair. [1:55:54] Do you use these, and are these still valuable to you? [1:55:58] Yes, sir. [1:55:59] We still use those. [1:56:00] I have a few on my desk right now to sign. [1:56:04] The issue that we've been seeing in Minnesota is that your legal status doesn't matter. [1:56:08] And so, even if you have a legal status, by virtue of the skin you were born into, [1:56:14] you're presumed to be illegal, and you are a possible victim or target of their stops. [1:56:19] One last question in regards to- [1:56:21] I'm sorry, we're running short on time, so we'll have to- [1:56:22] I apologize, I didn't see the timing. [1:56:24] Yes. [1:56:24] Okay. [1:56:24] Okay. [1:56:25] Once again, thank you, everybody. [1:56:27] Thank you for continuing to build trust with our appropriate communities. [1:56:30] Great. [1:56:31] Thank you. [1:56:31] I now recognize Representative Morrison. [1:56:33] Thank you. [1:56:36] Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks to all of you for being here to testify [1:56:41] about the real impact of this administration's incompetence and cruelty. [1:56:45] And special shout-out, of course, to the Minnesotans on the panel. [1:56:48] Thank you so much for being here. [1:56:50] Under the Trump administration, one report has tracked 2,300 individual cases [1:56:56] in which ICE illegally detained people without bond or due process. [1:57:01] In case after case, DHS has been found to be acting in violation of their own internal agency directives, [1:57:07] federal laws, and, of course, most egregiously, the U.S. Constitution. [1:57:12] To add brutality to injury, the administration slow walks or outright defies the court orders [1:57:18] mandating it rectify harms illegally inflicted. [1:57:23] They've supercharged detentions, intentionally creating the chaos they immediately turn around [1:57:28] and use as a justification for their brutality. [1:57:31] In a continued pattern of depravity, when DHS complies, it does so in profound bad faith, [1:57:41] releasing people far from home without their phone, weather-appropriate clothing, [1:57:46] cherished possessions, or their documents. [1:57:48] And these accounts are from those that are able to secure legal representation. [1:57:56] It doesn't account for those snatched off the street with no effective path to relieve. [1:58:01] It should repulse every single living person in this country. [1:58:06] The judges are having to issue increasingly prescriptive orders. [1:58:10] One demanded an explanation for detaining a nursing mother of a six-month-old [1:58:13] in direct violation of ICE's own policy. [1:58:15] Another had to instruct DHS to not leave people outside in life-threatening, freezing temperatures [1:58:21] and take steps to ensure humane treatment. [1:58:25] An order issued less than 24 hours ago had to direct ICE to provide people three meals a day, [1:58:31] hygiene products, bed mats, water. [1:58:36] They have to be told to give the human beings in their custody food and water, [1:58:41] to not illegally deprive them of their liberty, [1:58:43] to give medical treatment to those with life-threatening illnesses. [1:58:48] And they repeatedly fail to follow the orders. [1:58:52] In conversations with my community, I've repeatedly heard disturbing accounts [1:58:56] of how DHS's ramped-up operations are codifying practices of dehumanizing people in their custody [1:59:02] and depriving them of their most basic human rights. [1:59:07] In my oversight visits of the Whipple Federal Building, [1:59:09] I've seen firsthand the abhorrent conditions fellow Minnesotans, fellow human beings [1:59:16] are being subjected to without a modicum of oversight or accountability from DHS. [1:59:22] Those who have not faced the scale of aggression we've witnessed in Minnesota, [1:59:27] who may not be familiar with the depth of the depravity of DHS's operating procedure [1:59:32] under this administration, [1:59:33] to anyone and everyone who values their freedom and recognizes the dignity of human beings, [1:59:39] I stress in the most forceful terms, [1:59:42] the Department of Homeland Security is routinely and systematically obstructing oversight and due process [1:59:49] to conceal constitutional and human rights violations. [1:59:53] There is no negotiating the bedrock principles of our Constitution. [1:59:58] We are facing the choice of delivering dignity and justice or denying it. [2:00:02] We must unequivocally reject this cruelty. [2:00:06] With that, Madam Chair, I yield back. Thank you. [2:00:08] Thank you, Representative. [2:00:11] And I want to thank all the witnesses. [2:00:13] I have just a couple of follow-up questions I want to ask before we close out today's hearings. [2:00:23] Mr. Barranco, [2:00:26] your father recently told the New York Times [2:00:29] about the dismissal of his case or the termination of his case, [2:00:33] this was a victory and I'm happy for it, [2:00:37] but I'm still afraid that it could be grabbed. [2:00:39] And so he's limiting his outings. [2:00:41] I want to apologize to you and your father for the government failing you and your family [2:00:48] and for all of those who don't feel safe in this country. [2:00:54] It has been heartbreaking to see. [2:00:57] It's been heartbreaking to watch. [2:00:59] I hear day in and day out from my constituents. [2:01:01] We've seen the impacts. [2:01:03] So I want to thank you for your service. [2:01:05] And I want to apologize on behalf of our country for failing you and your father. [2:01:10] Is there any message that you would like to send to others who might be in a similar situation and afraid [2:01:17] and their children who might want to also advocate as you have done so gracefully [2:01:27] and so powerfully over the last several months? [2:01:34] Thank you. [2:01:35] Thank you for that. [2:01:36] And, yeah, I mean, it just goes to show that when the community sticks together [2:01:43] and we tell our stories to the right people, that justice can be served. [2:01:52] And my dad's case is part of that or an example of that. [2:01:56] And we just got to keep sticking together and keep fighting back. [2:02:00] Great. [2:02:00] Thank you. [2:02:02] Mr. Romanucci, you have, you know, you do such important work in defending those [2:02:11] and filing lawsuits to protect people's rights. [2:02:15] Is there anything you haven't yet told us that you want lawmakers to know and think about [2:02:19] and consider in our line of work, given the experiences that you've had with your clients? [2:02:27] I do. [2:02:27] And thank you for that question. [2:02:29] I think what law enforcement needs to understand and what our lawmakers need to emphasize [2:02:35] is that there should be a level playing field when it comes to how law enforcement is held accountable. [2:02:42] There should not be a double standard between local law enforcement, [2:02:48] such as is being represented at this table, and federal law enforcement. [2:02:52] And that's why we're seeing this huge imbalance in how people's civil rights are being violated [2:03:00] by federal law enforcement officers and not by local law enforcement officers. [2:03:07] They are the ones who are supporting the Constitution and the rights that people have under our Bill of Rights. [2:03:15] So our lawmakers need to balance this out so that it's equal and there is accountability for everyone, [2:03:24] just like Mendota Heights is held accountable. [2:03:28] I don't think there's any question that you would want your officers held accountable for violations of civil rights. [2:03:35] Why aren't federal law enforcement officers held accountable? [2:03:39] Thank you. [2:03:40] Chief, I'm going to give my last question to you. [2:03:42] Thank you for your willingness to testify and for calling out a wrong when there is a wrong happening. [2:03:49] How do we have more chiefs across the country do that? [2:03:54] Thank you for the question. [2:03:56] I believe that chiefs all across the country are working diligently and working together, [2:04:03] and hopefully that this will end, this ICE occupation of our cities will end. [2:04:10] But if it doesn't, I think you will see more local chiefs speaking out for their communities. [2:04:16] Maybe the better question is, we continue to see threats by the administration on the next city. [2:04:23] What would you say to the chief of the next city, given your experience? [2:04:28] Give us a call. [2:04:31] Sounds good. [2:04:32] Well, again, I want to thank all our witnesses that are here today at a time when Americans need it most. [2:04:37] You've chosen to speak up and to speak out, whether it's against tactics, whether it's against its administration, [2:04:44] or whether it's against the secretary and the cruelty towards our communities. [2:04:49] Through you, we have heard many stories today of Americans who've been harmed by the same government that has promised to protect them. [2:04:57] Donald Trump and Republicans gave ICE a blank check to brutalize our communities and to kill U.S. citizens. [2:05:04] The big, ugly law gave $75 billion to ICE with no strings attached, seven times more than ICE's annual budget. [2:05:12] And they made excuses for the ICE agents that killed Renee Good, Alex Preddy, and detained kindergartners and infants. [2:05:21] The brutality must end. [2:05:23] That's why we've demanded reforms to ICE ahead of the funding deadline for the Department of Homeland Security that is tomorrow. [2:05:30] We need common-sense reforms like requiring agents to put badges on and take their masks off. [2:05:38] Agents must have judicial warrants if they want to search our homes, and they cannot arrest someone simply because they have a different accent or skin color. [2:05:46] We will also continue to call for full and independent investigations into agents that break the law or violate our civil rights, [2:05:54] because House Democrats refuse to give DHS another blank check. [2:05:59] And while Republicans would rather risk another partial government shutdown than work with us to keep ICE under control, [2:06:06] House Democrats will still hold our federal agencies accountable. [2:06:10] And with that, the meeting of this steering and policy committee is hereby adjourned. [2:06:15] Thank you.