Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Floor Speech

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Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I rise today because, like many Americans, I am deeply troubled by the Democrats' reckless calls to abolish ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. That is why I am introducing a resolution to condemn calls for the abolishment of ICE and express support for all officers and personnel who carry out ICE's important mission of protecting American borders. With the ever present threat of international terrorism in the post-9/11 era, abolishing ICE is unthinkable. As our country battles threats from abroad, a historic opioid crisis, and increasing rates of violence against law enforcement officers, we must show our support for the mission of ICE. That is what this resolution does: It says that we see all of you at ICE and your commitment and that the Senate supports you.

ICE's mission is simple: to protect Americans from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten our communities. The criminal trafficking of persons and goods across our borders is among the greatest threats to public safety in this country. When ICE agents take to the streets, they are looking to protect our most vulnerable from being exploited by cartels and international gangs like MS-13. This violent gang has taken hold in at least 42 States, including Louisiana.

Just last year, ICE agents removed a million pounds of narcotics and more than 4,800 gang members from the streets of this country. They arrested nearly 800 members of the notoriously violent MS-13 gangs, like Juan Blanco, who was arrested after assaulting someone with a machete in Baton Rouge. Those numbers are just a small fraction of the nearly 127,000 arrests made by ICE agents against people who came here and committed violent crimes against law-abiding Americans. Those criminals were responsible for more than 50,000 assaults, 2,000 kidnappings, and 1,800 homicides.

However, in 2017, assaults on law enforcement officers also rose dramatically. This wasn't limited to police officers; assaults on ICE agents nearly tripled last year. Now, I am shocked to hear that some of my colleagues are calling for this important Federal agency to be abolished. In fact, I learned today that some Democrats in the House of Representatives plan to introduce legislation that would abolish ICE and expose its agents to the scrutiny of international courts. This open contempt for ICE is astonishing, and it belittles the courage of those who work for this Agency and engage in the legitimate defense of our borders.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency performs vital functions that are necessary to any government, like securing its borders. Last year, agents worked tirelessly around the clock to rescue 1,422 victims of human trafficking. More than 900 of those victims were children. Abolishing ICE would mean that these people, these precious lives, would still be in grave peril. If we were to heed these extremist calls to abolish ICE, thousands of pounds of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl would be in our schools and on the streets of our neighborhoods. We cannot ignore the role that ICE agents play in combatting terrorism, sex trafficking, child pornography, gang activity, labor exploitation, and the opioid crisis.

I want to make sure that our agents understand that the American people have their back. My resolution will honor the mission of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and commend the bravery of these men and women who put their lives on the line every day to dismantle violent and dangerous gangs. I thank all my Republican colleagues who are joining with me on this crucial piece of legislation.

Although much of their work is thankless and goes sight unseen, I am grateful to the thousands of ICE agents who work around the clocks to keep our streets safe. Without them and their tireless service, I can only imagine what our headlines would look like, and I am ashamed of my colleagues on the radical left who are calling for the elimination of this vital agency. I know I speak for more than just myself when I say, simply, don't abolish ICE.

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