Survivors testify to alleged ICE/CBP abuses as committee tables subpoena for senior aides

Witnesses told the House Committee on Homeland Security on a minority-day panel that they were shot, pepper-sprayed, choked or unlawfully detained by federal immigration agents, and several lawmakers said the testimony underscored an urgent need for oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.

The four witnesses — Marimar Martinez, Pastor David Black, George Rees and Ryan Ecklund — described separate episodes in which they said U.S. immigration agents used force against people who were, in each case, U.S. citizens. Lawmakers spent the second half of the session debating whether to subpoena senior administration aides tied to immigration policy; Representative M. Ramirez moved to subpoena Steven Miller and Thomas Hman, but a motion to table the subpoena prevailed in a 15–14 recorded vote.

Marimar Martinez, a Chicago teaching assistant who identified herself to the committee as a U.S. citizen, said a Border Patrol vehicle swerved into her lane, agents opened fire and she “had seven bullet holes in my body.” She said she drove a mile to safety, sought emergency care and was then taken into custody; Martinez told the committee that the charges against her were later dismissed and that she has been seeking release of the evidence connected to her case and accountability for the agent she named, Charles Exum.

Reverend David Black said he was praying outside an ICE detention center when masked officers fired pepper balls at him, striking his head and face. “They opened fire on me and shot me twice in the head, another five times on the body at least,” he testified, and described long-term community harm and a moral imperative to reform how agencies conduct enforcement.

George Rees, who identified himself as a veteran, described being stopped during an immigration operation, subject to chemical agents and physical restraint, fingerprinted and detained for three days with no charges and no ability to contact counsel or family. “My constitutional rights didn’t protect me,” Rees said.

Ryan Ecklund recounted following an unmarked vehicle, recording it and then being boxed in by multiple masked agents who ordered him from his car, used a chokehold and transported him to a federal building where he was detained for nine hours and ultimately released without charges. Ecklund raised concerns about surveillance and the use of facial-identification tools.

Ranking Member Thompson and a string of Democratic members framed the testimony as evidence of systemic problems at DHS components including ICE and CBP, and pressed for disciplinary records and documents. Members cited the ongoing lapse in House-level DHS funding and recent budget proposals — witnesses and members noted a reported $70 billion supplementary request and criticized using funding increases without accountability requirements.

Representative M. Ramirez offered a motion to subpoena Steven Miller and Thomas Hman for the committee to question them about policy and alleged misconduct. Members later moved to table the subpoena; the clerk reported a recorded tally of 15 yes and 14 no, and the chair announced the motion to table had passed. The committee held the hearing record open for 10 days, excused the witnesses and recessed before adjourning.

The hearing included repeated calls from witnesses and supportive members for transparent release of evidence, disciplinary records for involved agents, and statutory or regulatory changes to permit civil remedies and stronger oversight. Members on both sides asked for specific follow-ups: document production, answers from DHS officials and assurances about operational practices such as use of unmarked vehicles and body cameras.

The committee concluded the public testimony portion and moved to procedural votes; members noted the record will remain open for additional submissions and documents for 10 days. The witnesses were excused and the committee adjourned.