Fighting Dhs Immigration Raids

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose the Trump administration's outrageous overreach on immigration that is tearing families apart in my district and around the country.

Since taking office, Trump has declared war on our communities. Masked ICE and CBP thugs--I call them thugs because they don't identify themselves. In our State, police officers, law enforcement, always identify themselves. They have detained parents on their way to work. They have kidnapped U.S. citizens. They have tear-gassed people, including children. They have deployed the National Guard to our cities and terrorized hardworking immigrants who are following the rules, all without warning, charges, or due process.

This administration is abusing its power to trample on the Constitution and our civil rights. Federal agents have shot two of my constituents, one fatally. In the other, when they brought about charges, the case fell apart and the charges were dropped. That case was alluded to earlier in this presentation.

When agents show up in schools, hospitals, or factories without clear authority or regard for court orders, they send a message to everyone that their rights are conditional.

When agents run into a daycare center and drag out a teacher in front of the children and parents, they are not following the law. They are using gestapo tactics.

None of this is about public safety. More than 4,000 people have been arrested by Federal agents in Chicago, but only about 3 percent have any type of criminal records.

When the government goes after people just because of the color of their skin or the jobs that they hold, they are not going after criminals. They are clearly using racial profiling to meet the arbitrary detention quotas they have been given.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus are standing up for the people. We are calling for transparency, tracking every incident, and working on laws to curb unchecked power and to restore our constitutional rights.

In the Fourth District and across the country, every family deserves to feel safe and respected, knowing that their government is there to protect their rights and uphold the law. We intend to hold this administration accountable when they don't, every single time.

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