Horrific Ice Abuses

Floor Speech

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Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus for convening this very important discussion this evening.

Over the past year, the Trump administration has pursued immigration enforcement actions, actions that are deplorable, inhumane, and, indeed, deadly.

Last month, in my district in New York's Capital Region, a family of five, including an 8-month-old who was reportedly a U.S. citizen, was detained and deported after ICE entered their apartment without-- without--a judicial warrant, a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment.

In December, our Afghan community was repeatedly targeted, including ICE arresting a father and son after they exited a mosque following morning prayer. People who fled the Taliban, fearing for their lives and their families' lives, are now wondering if they will be picked up next by ICE.

This is not who we are as a nation. We are supposed to uphold the values of freedom, the values of democracy, and the American Dream. Instead, the very people who came here in pursuit of that dream are afraid to attend school, go to their jobs, go to church, and even leave their homes for fear of being hunted down, detained, and deported.

Nowhere have the effects of ICE's operations been clearer than in Minneapolis. The murders of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens and both shot multiple times by U.S. agents, were senseless and horrifying. Two people who should be in the arms of their families today have instead been killed in the streets.

In their brutal and deadly campaign, ICE has lost all public trust and credibility. This agency as it exists and operates cannot continue. ICE must be abolished.

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