Letter to the Hon Kevin McAleenan, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security - Assistant Speaker Lujan, Chairman Castro Demand Answers from Trump Administration on ICE Raids

Letter

Dear Acting Secretary McAleenan and Acting Director Morgan:

We write seeking answers regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) interior enforcement actions targeting thousands of people in major cities across the United States, including vulnerable migrant families who fled to the U.S. to seek asylum and have since been ordered removed. Many of these apprehensions had been planned for earlier in June and subsequently postponed for July following direct communications between President Trump and ICE officials. The Administration's plans to execute large-scale, coordinated enforcement operations and ongoing efforts to publicize inhumane family separations have caused significant anxiety, fear and trauma for American families and discord for citizens and migrants alike. We are deeply concerned that as ICE continues to expand use of aggressive enforcement operations, immigrant families will go without due-process protections, and that bystanders who are not on ICE's list but are merely "suspected' of being undocumented will be caught up in the raids. ICE's threatened and actual raids will continue to cause unnecessary trauma to vulnerable family members, including minor children, and United States citizens. Moreover, we are concerned that ICE's aggressive operations will harm local safety by undermining community-law enforcement trust--making community members much less likely to call the police to provide tips, report crimes and seek protection.

Given these reports, we respectfully request additional information on the operations of ICE as they pertain to recent deportation and apprehension activities.

Media reports indicated that ICE planned to target individuals from the family unit docket that were previously ordered removed in absentia. Please explain what in absentia is, and why that is not necessarily affording people due process?
What is the procedure for reporting ICE personnel misconduct and what are the internal oversight mechanisms in place to address any misconduct?
Where did the funds to conduct these interior enforcement actions derive from?
Please provide the number of individuals (broken down by location) that ICE apprehended between July 12-16th that were previously on the Family Unit docket but were ordered removed in absentia.
How many people with court-ordered removals did ICE apprehend and attempt to apprehend between July 12-16th?
How many collateral arrests did ICE make between July 12-16th?
For each individual ICE took into custody July 12-16th, we ask you to please provide the following:
Date taken into custody, Congressional district of residence, name, age, if they are an unaccompanied minor, country of residence, whether they have U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family members, and duration of residence in the U.S.
Whether warrants were secured and manner of apprehension.
Whether any immigration filings are pending with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the type and status of such filings.
Location where detained, whether travel documents are secured, and anticipated date and manner of removal.
Whether while detained, individual has access to legal counsel.
Many of the cities and states targeted in these operations have policies to limit local entanglement with ICE operations, due to concerns that it undermines public safety and diverts resources from local needs. Please describe any ICE requests for assistance or support for at-large enforcement operations from July 12-16th from state and local law enforcement and other agencies, including the identity of the agencies and the nature of requested assistance (e.g., access to databases, perimeter setup, other logistical support, and detention in local or state facilities).
What plans has your office made to house detainees in temporary facilities? What process do you use to verify the conditions in these temporary facilities? How do you facilitate access to counsel for detainees in these temporary facilities?
We urge ICE leadership and personnel to conduct a thorough investigation of these matters to ensure all interior immigration enforcement activities are operating in compliance with federal, state and local law.

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

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