“Public Trust and Public Safety Go Hand in Hand”: Chairman Garbarino Opens Hearing With ICE, CBP, USCIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) delivered the following opening statement in a Committee hearing featuring testimony from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Todd Lyons, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow.

Watch Chairman Garbarino's opening statement here and read it below.

I want to start by thanking our witnesses for appearing before the Committee today. Today's hearing provides the American people the ability to hear directly from the leaders that enforce our nation's immigration laws. It is our imperative, as representatives of the people, to be a voice for the people. Transparency, communication, and accountability are the keys to good government. This is why oversight is important. Informing Congress and the public is not casting accusations, nor is it a punishment. Congress has a duty to hear directly from the executive branch--a duty I take seriously--and the executive branch has a duty to keep us informed.

While this hearing was long planned, we sit here today at an inflection point--an opportunity to assess and reinforce the integrity of immigration enforcement, and to strengthen public trust. An opportunity to emphasize and underscore the Department of Homeland Security's no-fail mission as a whole. My top priority as Chairman is, and will always be, protecting America while ensuring the safety of law enforcement. This is further important in the context of another potential shutdown of the Department. Let me be clear, shutting down DHS makes Americans less safe and negatively impacts thousands of federal employees, like those at TSA and CISA.

The Department of Homeland Security is the nation's largest federal law enforcement agency. It is this Committee's duty, regardless of administration, to conduct oversight. We need to examine how DHS components are enforcing the law, and ensure they have the resources in place to do this work safely, effectively, and properly.

Last year, we provided historic resources through reconciliation to strengthen public safety and support the Trump administration's unprecedented efforts to secure the border. This was the single largest investment in the domestic homeland security mission. To succeed, we all need to work together seamlessly--and this Committee is a partner in that effort.

It is important to remember how we got here. For years, we witnessed a blanket refusal to enforce the law, wide-open borders, catch-and-release policies, and uncontrolled mass migration. These policies undermined the rule of law and endangered all Americans. Enforcing immigration law is not optional.

The Trump Administration's record on border security is irrefutable. Nationwide border encounters last December decreased 91 percent compared to 2023. Apprehensions between ports of entry last December decreased 86 percent compared to 2024. And we ended last year with eight consecutive months of zero parole releases by Border Patrol. Further, thousands of criminal illegal aliens have been detained and deported. These actions make America safer and more secure. The credibility of these successes is on the line. We must take the temperature down and look at the record of enforcement actions through rational eyes.

We have seen a significant increase in violent rhetoric and agitation. We have seen a significant increase in attacks on federal law enforcement, and in the number of threats facing them and their families. This Committee highlighted the threat increases to law enforcement at an earlier hearing. We have seen state and local jurisdictions refuse to protect federal law enforcement officers. And, obviously, we have now seen the deaths of two American citizens in Minnesota. This is all unacceptable and preventable. The safety of law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect must always come first.

When officials or elected leaders rush to conclusions about law enforcement or their fellow Americans--public trust suffers. There must be a complete and impartial investigation. I expect each of our witnesses to keep this Committee fully informed as the investigations run their course. And I will ensure this happens.

While these investigations are ongoing, officials and elected leaders cannot rush to judgment. I cannot put myself in the shoes of law enforcement, nor can I imagine what the families of Ms. Good and Mr. Pretti are enduring today. Public trust and public safety go hand in hand--we cannot have one without the other.

I am encouraged to see that President Trump sent Border Czar Tom Homan and Commissioner Scott to Minnesota to work with Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, and other local leaders. I sincerely hope this dialogue continues. This should stand as an example of cooperation to anyone who continues to incentivize reckless behavior in our streets, unlawfully impede law enforcement operations, or disparage their fellow citizens. State and local officials should be partners, not obstacles, when it comes to public safety. And federal officials should keep in mind that this kind of partnership is a two-way street. Everyone should have the same goal of keeping Americans safe.

Transparency and communication are needed now more than ever--the Department's no-fail mission hangs in the balance. A rule-based order is not one sided. Enforcing immigration law and defending all Americans' Constitutional rights--including the rights to peacefully protest, bear arms, and privacy--are not mutually exclusive.

I want to thank Secretary Noem for making these witnesses rapidly available and again thank the three of you for appearing here today. As Border Czar Homan recently said, "you can't fix problems if you don't have discussions."

I hope we can have a positive, civil and productive discussion today. Only together can we make our communities stronger and the homeland safer for the future of all Americans.

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