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Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, for months--for months--Americans have watched in horror as ICE agents have stopped acting like law enforcement and started terrorizing communities across the country. In cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Phoenix, and elsewhere, Federal agents have been running around with no identification, barging into homes without warrants, arresting people without due process, using force in ways that violate people's constitutional rights. On two occasions, American citizens were executed in broad daylight. No other police department in America--no city police, no sheriffs, no State police, or until recently, no Federal police--would tolerate this kind of unrestrained barbarity.

The American people are reacting. They are appalled. The data shows that, overwhelmingly, even Republicans--non-MAGA Republicans in particular--are really upset about these violations of rights. They look at the pictures on TV, and they say: This is not America. This is not America.

Well, Donald Trump is realizing that Americans are turning against him on this issue. And it is not an immigration issue; it is a public safety issue, and the Republicans are on the wrong side of public safety right now. In fact, they are defending using tax dollars to create chaos in our cities instead of using those dollars to reduce costs of healthcare.

Well, Donald Trump is getting it. He called me last week because he didn't want to have the six bills tied together. He knew Homeland Security was much more of a problem.

And yesterday, in an interview, Trump said: ``[M]aybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch'' when it comes to ICE's tactics.

Well, President Trump, if you want a softer touch, then the right answer is to lean on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the proposals Democrats have put together. Frankly, Republican leaders can't get it done without you, President Trump, because they are too scared and too gripped by the extreme right to do anything without your backing.

Their immediate rejection of the Democrats' reasonable, commonsense proposals was totally predictable because the Republican leaders don't want ICE to have any accountability--totally adverse to what Americans believe and want.

Passing legislation along the lines that Democrats have proposed is the right thing to do. Americans already support our ideas. They are not extreme. They mirror the same standards that law enforcement around the country already follows.

The change, of course, will require legislation or the public won't buy it, and legislation will require Donald Trump to push the Republicans into action.

Leader Jeffries and I are ready to negotiate. Yesterday, we formally shared our specific demands with Republican leadership about what must happen to rein in ICE and stop the violence.

And Democrats in the House and Senate are on the same exact page about what needs to be done to rein in ICE, end the violence. What must we do? We must see the end of roving patrols. People can't just be picked up on the street and thrown into some dark place with no explanation as to why with no warrant. You can't barge into someone's home without a warrant. That is what we are saying.

We need reasonable use-of-force policies like States do. Every State has good rules for their police, for their sheriffs. Why should ICE be the only exception? Why should they be allowed to continue to terrorize our cities?

And, of course, we must have no secret police with masks off and cameras on. Speaker Johnson--he says that is wrong.

Why? Explain it. Every local community--I am sure the communities down in Louisiana, the sheriffs and State police, have full identification of police officers.

Yes, there is a problem with doxing, and that can easily be dealt with in the rare moment it happens. That doesn't require all masks stay on. Everyone knows that. These are just excuses because they are afraid of the rightwing who believe in this horrible stuff.

We also make clear that certain places like schools and churches and election places should be off limits.

We make it clear that American citizens cannot be arrested and detained without due process.

Republicans, Leader Thune, Leader Johnson, explain why you think it is OK for American citizens to be arrested and detained without any due process. Explain it.

Just like you have to explain why you want to keep the masks on. Just like you ought to explain why people can be arrested without warrants. Explain it: Why?

But, instead, just a quick, immediate dismissal because you are afraid to negotiate.

Our demands are not crazy demands. It is the kind of stuff that applies to police departments everywhere. We are not going out on a limb saying Federal officers should have identification.

We know what we are talking about when we say that the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure, should be obeyed. This is middle school civics class stuff we are dealing with here.

So I am just astounded to hear Republicans like Johnson and Republican Senators, some of them, say our proposals are somehow political or nonstarters.

Political? Republicans think it is political and nonstarters to say police should identify themselves? Explain that to America.

It is not political. It is the Constitution, and it is the moral and right thing to do in a democratic country. It is about people's basic rights. It is about people's safety.

If Republicans don't like our proposals, pouting is not going to make the chaos in the streets go away. The Republicans need to explain why to the American people. Let me say it again: If Republicans don't like our proposals, pouting is not enough. They need to explain why to the American people--because they don't have a good explanation. They are just afraid of the rightwing, some of those crazies on the right who actually do want to rip up the Constitution.

The truth is Republicans cannot explain why our ideas are extreme because they know deep down that what ICE is doing is indefensible, so they are stuck.

If Republicans think it is political or extreme to say ICE agents ought to identify themselves, again, explain why to the American people.

Johnson, explain why it is OK to do it in Louisiana but it is not OK to do it here, to have police identify themselves.

If Republicans think it is political or extreme to say it is wrong for ICE agents to raid churches and schools and hospitals--oftentimes with no warrant and no cooperation with local police--they should explain why.

If Republicans think the status quo with ICE is OK, they should back it up and say so to the American people.

Now, most Americans, we Democrats, support law enforcement. We support our police. They have hard jobs. They put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. What Americans don't support are the kind of abuses ICE is committing with impunity across communities, and police officers don't like it either. It gives them a bad name.

ICE's behavior is not law enforcement; it is thuggery. ICE's behavior is not law enforcement; it is thuggery. It puts people in danger.

President Trump knows things have to change. He should lean on Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats and deliver. This is a gut-check moment for Congress. Americans expect nothing short of real, meaningful, commonsense legislation. Americans expect us to rein in ICE and end the violence, which we can do right here, if only the Republicans cooperate and do the right thing.

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