Committee member says ICE is 'attacking and killing ordinary people,' cites shootings

A Committee member sharply criticized U.S. immigration enforcement, saying federal agents have become "masked paramilitary squads" that are "attacking and killing ordinary people." The lawmaker cited a figure of at least 22 people shot by immigration officers since the president's return to office and said six people were killed, including three U.S. citizens named during the remarks.

The committee member argued the enforcement pattern is harming lawful permanent residents, citizens and undocumented people without criminal records, and said the agency is prioritizing civil immigration work over public-safety threats. "But his masked paramilitary squads bloated with tens of billions of dollars in tax money are attacking and killing ordinary people," the committee member said. The speaker also warned that short training courses for some immigration officers are producing officers who quickly resort to drawing firearms.

The remarks were delivered as part of an opening statement that framed the committee's hearing as a response to those enforcement outcomes; the speaker urged oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and said Congress should pursue comprehensive immigration reform rather than repeating hearings without follow-through.