Aggressive Immigration Enforcement Tactics in Oregon

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my profound opposition to the aggressive, cruel, and dangerous immigration enforcement actions that are taking place in Oregon and across the country.

During the past few months, we have seen a dramatic increase in agents from ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Oregon, fueled by hatred and Donald Trump's inhumane, out-of-touch mass deportation agenda.

I am infuriated by story after story of extreme overreach, excessive force, and brutal tactics being used by masked ICE agents to arrest and detain Oregonians.

In Portland, ICE wrongfully separated a young, loving mom from her four little children for 4 months.

In Hillsboro, multiple unmarked SUVs circled a man in a parking lot. He was simply going to pick up groceries. In Beaverton, ICE was parked on the street, randomly scanning license plates of cars, and then checking names. They wrongfully arrested a man who would have been sent to detention had his lawyer not intervened at the very last minute.

At the ICE facility in Portland, ICE staff are lying to lawyers, pepper spraying people who are peacefully protesting, and recklessly exposing residents who live nearby, including seniors, veterans, and children to toxic fumes.

ICE detained one of my constituents, Victor Cruz, because he has the same name as someone with a criminal record. My constituent showed the ICE agents his identification. It didn't matter. He doesn't have a criminal record, nor was there a warrant for his arrest. It didn't matter. He has a valid work permit, a job, and a pending visa case. It didn't matter. He has a heart condition and a pacemaker. It didn't matter.

Victor is a well-respected member of the community with, as you can see, adorable grandchildren. He was arrested, detained, and sent to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. Then immigration officials tried to deport him.

I visited Victor in Tacoma, where he was kept in bleak conditions and spoke about his experience and his hopes to be reunited with his family.

After almost 4 weeks of being wrongfully detained, Victor Cruz was finally released after an outpouring of support from the community, his friends, and neighbors, and with the assistance of his lawyer.

I am overjoyed, but he should never have been arrested and detained in the first place. For far too many others, they aren't as fortunate.

ICE is now moving people from the detention facility to other immigration facilities across the U.S. to block legal action. As this headline says, ICE's strategy is to ``Detain people first and ask questions later.''

Simply put, ICE is not following the law. They are part of an out-of- control Federal agency, indiscriminately kidnapping people off the streets, and sowing terror in our communities. This is not how a civilized Nation treats its people.

There are countless stories of ICE drawing their weapons and pointing them at bystanders, driving into oncoming traffic to deter bystanders from filming them. To make matters worse, now the Trump administration is demeaning and scapegoating immigrants.

The United States of America is a country of immigrants and our Nation is stronger because of its diversity, but the Trump administration's actions are actually making America more dangerous.

This isn't about safety. Nobody wants violent criminals in their neighborhoods and districts, but that is not the issue here. In fact, ICE is spending so much time targeting people based on their race or ethnicity that they aren't focused on the real criminals.

Recently, I spoke with a high school student who is terrified that his family and friends will be kidnapped. I spoke with education leaders who were in tears about the trauma they are seeing in their school districts and with students who are afraid for themselves and their families. This trauma will last for years and will affect the ability of these kids to learn and thrive in schools.

I met with Latino businessowners who have seen significant reductions in people visiting their shops and restaurants. The common thread in their interactions was the word ``terror.''

Earlier this week, high school students were here advocating for humane immigration policies. They spoke about how the Trump administration is dehumanizing immigrants and making it more difficult for people to call America home. High schoolers know this is wrong. You and I know this is wrong.

I urge my colleagues to show some empathy and understanding. Let's show some respect for civil and human rights. Work with us on humane immigration reform.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow these abuses of power and lawless actions to continue. We must all speak out. Let's work together to put an end to this ugly chapter in our country's history.

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