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Lawmaker says DHS, ICE acting like a 'private military force,' cites testimony of arrests and shootings
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Summary
A lawmaker told a congressional hearing that DHS and ICE agents have committed widespread abuses, including alleged warrantless entries and use of force; the speaker cited testimony alleging dozens of incidents and urged continued oversight and court action.
A lawmaker addressed Senator Blumenthal during a congressional hearing on DHS and ICE and accused federal immigration agents of widespread misconduct, saying the agencies are operating like "Donald Trump's personal and private military force." The speaker urged sustained oversight and judicial review to protect Fourth Amendment rights.
The lawmaker said the committee has held three hearings on DHS and ICE and "documented horrific and terrible violence by this administration," adding that oversight Democrats and Senate partners are "fighting for accountability, for truth, and for the rights of all people." The speaker cited testimony from teachers, veterans and people arrested on the ground as sources for the committee's findings.
Quoting the hearing record, the speaker said that "as of February, oversight Democrats have documented over 5 30 credible and verified instances of possible abuses and misconduct by President Trump's federal immigration agents," and also said the documentation included "224 incidents just with use of force." The transcript's phrasing "over 5 30" is unclear in the record; the speaker explicitly stated "224 incidents" of use of force.
The lawmaker emphasized constitutional protections, reciting the Fourth Amendment's guarantee that the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, and argued that those protections extend to "all people." The speaker asserted that agents had been "ordered to disregard the constitution and to violate the rights of American citizens and immigrants," and warned that "ICE wants to write its own permission slip without a judge to break down your door and to violate your rights."
The speaker named several individuals and cases presented as testimony: a veteran, George Retes, described as arrested while going to work; "Miramar Martinez," described as having been shot five times; and testimony from relatives of Renee Goode about a sister killed by a DHS officer. The lawmaker also cited testimony from Tiana Gibson Brown, described in the record as "a citizen and a health care worker whose home was sworn by federal agents with military equipment and without a legal warrant." The hearing transcript's word "sworn" in that line is unclear; the speaker's line described a forcible federal action at her home without a warrant.
The lawmaker singled out political appointees in the administration by name in the record, including Stephen Miller and Donald Trump, and described Miller as "one of the most dangerous men in the administration as it relates to violations of the constitution." The speaker said that media outlets criticized the committee's earlier focus on Miller but defended the decision to name him.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in this segment of the hearing. The speaker closed by reaffirming the committee's commitment to oversight, thanking Senator Blumenthal for leadership and "yield[ing] back."
