Condemning Violence By Ice
Floor Speech
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Mr. MIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Res. 516, sponsored by Representative Young Kim. This resolution has a lot of things I think we all can agree upon, including recognizing the right to assemble and protest peacefully and condemning violence against law enforcement.
In the very last clause, it specifically expresses gratitude to law enforcement including ICE for ``keeping our communities safe in the face of danger.''
I want to be clear. I commend local law enforcement, including the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which I represent, for their professionalism and courage. It is a tough job, and I am so grateful for the men and women who go out there every day and risk their lives to keep our communities safe.
To extend these thanks to ICE, while failing to acknowledge the myriad of ways in which ICE is making other communities more dangerous, is outrageous and dishonest.
I hear every single day--and I know Young Kim does, too, because we represent neighboring districts in Orange County--I hear from constituents who are deeply concerned about ICE's lawbreaking. We have seen the videos. We have heard the eyewitness accounts.
ICE agents are kidnapping people in broad daylight. They are assaulting people in broad daylight. They are doing so while masked up, refusing to identify themselves, while wearing civilian clothes like jeans and sneakers.
They come out of unmarked vans. They tackle people. They assault people. Frankly, other than the ICE vests or jackets they are wearing, which, by the way, can now be purchased for $29.99 on Amazon, they look more like gang members than Federal law enforcement agents.
If a person runs away from these masked vigilantes, they will beat and chase that person down. Mr. Speaker, if you ask to see their identification or their warrant, they will assault you and arrest you. If a person films them, they will pull a gun on that individual.
These tactics are grossly illegal and not tactics that local law enforcement engage in. Our local law enforcement follows the law. They wear body cameras. They are subject to disciplinary actions if they violate due process rights.
ICE is completely unaccountable and totally out of control. We have seen them assault citizens. We have seen them assault elected officials, including Members of Congress and my colleague from California, Senator Alex Padilla. Just 2 weeks ago, he was assaulted, tackled, handcuffed, and shoved to the ground for asking a question at a press conference.
The idea that ICE is making our communities safer is ludicrous. I quote the podcaster Joe Rogan: ``. . . if the Trump administration, if they're running and they said . . . we're gonna arrest all the people at Home Depot. We're gonna go to construction sites and we're going to just like tackle people at construction sites, I don't think anybody would have signed up for that.
``They said, we're gonna get rid of the criminals and the gang members first.''
Right? That is crazy.
It is crazy because the reality of the situation is that ICE is not going after violent criminals. They are going after peaceful, law- abiding immigrants. As the rightwing Cato Institute recently found, 93 percent of the people being apprehended by ICE have had no convictions for violent crime.
ICE is not going after MS-13 or murderers or rapists. They are going after innocent people, including a woman in Tennessee who was 5 months pregnant and engaged to a U.S. citizen.
Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus was transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. She was forced to sleep on the floor and eat food infested with roaches. She was denied medical care, despite complaining repeatedly about sharp pains in her pelvis. She lost her baby because of this mistreatment.
She was not a criminal. She was an expectant mom whose child died. It is clear that ICE's lawless actions are making our communities much more dangerous.
Here is a statement issued by the mayor of Santa Ana, which has been the epicenter of ICE raids in Orange County. She said: ``The Federal immigration raids . . . in Santa Ana have created a climate of fear, anxiety, and instability across our community.
``The aggressive tactics used by Federal agents have shattered trust in law enforcement and are eroding the critical relationship between our residents and the Santa Ana Police Department. When families are too afraid to report crimes or engage with local authorities, we are all less safe.''
ICE's lawless sweeps have also deeply impacted the Korean community in SoCal. The first ICE raids targeted Korean-owned garment factories and have caused significant confusion, fear, and terror in the Korean- American community.
I hear every day from Korean Americans who are terrified about ICE. I know that my colleagues, including Young Kim, do, too. They know that ICE is making our communities less safe.
I will close with this. We have all seen the videos and images of Narciso Barranco, a gardener and father of three U.S. Marines, who was tackled and punched repeatedly in the head by ICE agents wearing jeans and sneakers.
As one of his sons, Alejandro, a current marine, stated, while deployed as a marine, if he had treated a detainee the same way ICE agents treated his father, it would clearly be a war crime.
While Narciso Barranco is a resident of Tustin, he is a constituent of Young Kim. I would guess that he would vehemently disagree with the claim that ICE is making our communities safer.
How can anyone express gratitude to ICE when they are literally committing war crimes against their constituents? This resolution is shameful. It is morally wrong. Thanking ICE is the worst kind of political stunt at this point in time when our constituents and our communities are living in fear and terror.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record four items. The first is: ``ICE Immigration Jacket Becomes Bestseller on Amazon.'' You can view the link here: https://www.newsweek.com/ice- immigration-jacket-best-seller-amazon-2035114.
The second is a Cato Institute blog entry: ``65 Percent of People Taken By ICE Had No Convictions, 93 Percent No Violent Convictions.'' You can view the article at this link: https://www.cato.org/blog/65- people-taken-ice-had-no-convictions-93-no-violent- convictions.
The third and fourth items I would like to add are a statement from Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and a statement from the Korean- American Federation of Los Angeles in response to the ICE raids on June 6. June 23, 2025. Statement from Mayor Valerie Amezcua
The federal immigration raids and the deployment of the National Guard in Santa Ana have created a climate of fear, anxiety, and instability across our community. These actions are harming hardworking immigrant families, directly jeopardizing public safety, and impacting the local economy.
The aggressive tactics used by federal agents have shattered trust in law enforcement and are eroding the critical relationship between our residents and the Santa Ana Police Department. When families are too afraid to report crimes or engage with local authorities, we are all less safe.
Our businesses are suffering, our downtown is empty, and our people are in fear, simply because of the color of their skin or their ethnicity. We demand an end to these arbitrary immigration operations. Our community deserves safety, dignity, and respect, not fear. ____ June 6, 2025. Official Statement From the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA) Urgent Statement Regarding Recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Raids
On the morning of June 6, 2025, federal agents carried out coordinated immigration enforcement raids targeting multiple businesses in Downtown Los Angeles, including Korean-owned garment factories.
These sudden and large-scale operations, which led to numerous arrests, were reportedly conducted without prior notice, causing severe disruption and significant damage to the affected businesses.
Disturbingly, reports indicate that individuals with limited English proficiency or those unable to immediately provide documentation verifying their legal status were detained or forcibly removed on the spot. These actions have led to widespread confusion, fear, and distress--impacting not only the Korean American community but also many residents across the area.
The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA) strongly condemns these unilateral and excessive enforcement measures, particularly those executed without adherence to due process. We urgently call upon our local, state, and federal elected officials to investigate these incidents and take immediate steps to ensure that the civil rights of all community members are protected.
KAFLA will continue to work in close partnership with local advocacy groups and community organizations to prevent further harm and to stand up for those unjustly impacted.
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