Unnamed senator says ICE, CBP have overreached; urges removal of DHS appointees and limits on agents in communities
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Summary
An unnamed senator told the Senate the Trump administration's deployment of ICE and CBP amounts to constitutional abuse, cited two recent killings, and called for removal of political appointees, restrictions on agents in public spaces, and withholding ICE funding until accountability is established.
An unnamed senator addressed the Senate floor to accuse the Trump administration and its immigration agents of violating multiple constitutional protections and of using heavy-handed tactics in U.S. communities. The senator said actions by ICE and CBP have "stomped to death" the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Tenth Amendments and called the conduct "a totally lawless abuse of federal power."
The speech named two recent fatal encounters, saying "the murder of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy demonstrate exactly how the Trump administration is breaking the law and trashing the constitution," and asserted there is "ample video evidence" that contradicts the administration's claim that those involved were domestic terrorists. The senator attributed the statements to the Senate floor address and did not present judicial or investigatory findings in the remarks.
The senator said ICE and CBP agents have been stopping people, asking for papers, placing them in unmarked vehicles and deporting some without due process, and argued these practices violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. "Shooting unarmed Americans on the street is not immigration enforcement," the senator said, calling the tactics "intimidation" and "a blatant attempt to suppress free speech."
On personnel and policy, the senator said "Kristi Noem and the political appointees at DHS have got to go" and urged that ICE and CBP be removed from schools, hospitals, places of worship, childcare centers, courthouses and other public spaces. The speaker said they will not support additional federal funding for ICE "unless there is an end to these killings and abuses and accountability for everybody involved."
The senator framed law enforcement responsibilities as local where appropriate, saying, "If an individual has committed a local crime, then local law enforcement can step up." The remarks closed with a call for investigations by Democrats "to investigate and publicly prosecute anybody complicit in these murders," and the senator yielded the floor.
No formal vote or committee action followed the remarks during this transcript; the statements were floor advocacy and allegations presented by the unnamed senator.
