Violations of Rights By Ice

Floor Speech

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous and shameful that the President sent in the military to brutalize protesters in Los Angeles. The right to dissent in our country is an American value. This is just evidence, evidence that our country is falling into fascism. It is an abuse of power and a dangerous escalation that will only destabilize our communities and hurt protesters.

I stand with those defending our immigrant neighbors and our fundamental rights. Nothing justifies spending $134 million of our tax dollars to send in troops to attack fellow Americans.

Mr. Speaker, immigrant communities have been telling us for years, warning us about ICE being rogue, violating their rights. It is outrageous. People are now seeing it for themselves and understanding why we say abolish ICE, which was created in 2003.

I agree with them. I agree that we must abolish ICE and protect our communities and neighbors. It has caused so much needless harm since its creation in 2003.

This month, Mr. Speaker, a high school senior in my district, Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, a high school student 3.5 credits shy of graduating from Western International High School, was on a field trip with his classmates. Local police profiled him--yes, they did--Oh, he can't speak English, let's call immigration. He spoke English just fine.

That set into motion him being separated from his mother, his school community, and ripping away his chance to be able to graduate with his classmates.

ICE cruelty is evident because they sent him to Louisiana. He had paperwork on file. He was trying to do the right thing. He was just a kid. The cruelty is disgusting, and the Trump administration is desperately trying to label kids like Maykol as a criminal.

We must reject this rhetoric and policies that pit our immigrant communities against each other, tear families apart, and put our neighbors in harm's way. Mr. Speaker, it is important to understand the cruelty and how we need to make sure that, again, we protect our community. Celebrating Juneteenth

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Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the United States of America, and this day remains deeply meaningful to many of our families in the Michigan 12th Congressional District. The most beautiful, Blackest city is in the 12th District, the city of Detroit.

It is a celebration of freedom, Black resilience, and the ongoing fight for justice for all. In our community, we remember and honor generations of Black Americans who fought for liberation.

As we speak, right now, Republican extremists across our country are attempting to erase Black history right before our eyes. We stand with residents in Detroit and throughout the country who refuse to let Black history be erased. We are committed to uplifting their stories and carrying on the movement for true equity and dignity for all.

Detroit's legacy, its culture, leadership, and resistance are a living testament to Black brilliance and perseverance.

However, we also recognize that freedom was never fully granted. The abolition of slavery contained a clause in the 13th Amendment that still allows slavery to exist as a ``punishment for crime.'' That loophole to this day has fueled mass incarceration, economic exploitation, and generational harm, especially for Black Americans.

That is why I support the abolition amendment, which would strike this shameful exception from our Constitution and end the legalized practice of slavery in the United States.

Detroiters understand that reparations are not just about the past. This is important. They are about addressing the present-day impacts of institutionalized racism, Mr. Speaker. They are about acknowledging the labor, land, and lives stolen, and beginning to repair what has been broken. That is what it is about. We must give our Black neighbors the reparations that they were promised.

This Juneteenth, I ask everyone in this Chamber to join me in honoring our Black neighbors by fighting for what is long overdue: reparations, Black maternal health equity, investments in HBCUs, and real protections for voting rights.

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