Reps. Aguilar, Ruiz, Takano, Immigrant Justice Advocates Hold Press Conference Calling Out DHS Brutality, Demanding Accountability

Reps. Aguilar, Ruiz and Takano demanded the immediate removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and serious reforms at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Reps. Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Mark Takano (CA-39) and immigrant justice advocates from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice and the Immigrant Defenders Law Center held a press conference in front of the ICE field office in San Bernardino. The Representatives called out the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) use of brutality and violence, demanded accountability from the Trump Administration for terrorizing communities and murdering American citizens and called for the immediate removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. You can watch the full video of the press conference here.

"Our message for President Donald Trump is strong and simple: remove Kristi Noem and reform ICE now," said Rep. Pete Aguilar. "For a year, Americans have witnessed ICE's complete disregard for human life, and the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good are just the latest and last straw. People are dying in detention centers, children like 5-year-old Liam Ramos are being snatched from preschool, masked ICE and Border Patrol agents are invading homes without warrants and protesters are being murdered for exercising their constitutional rights. That's why Democrats are demanding four things from the Trump Administration: Kristi Noem must be fired, or we will move to impeach her; federal immigration agents must cease all operations in Minnesota and stop terrorizing our communities; the Department of Homeland Security must not interfere with the investigations into the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti: and Republicans must join Democrats in to pass meaningful reforms to ICE. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We'll accept nothing less."

"ICE's violent conduct is out of control," said Rep. Raul Ruiz. "The killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good demand real accountability. That's why I voted no on DHS funding-Republicans blocked basic guardrails like warrants, body cameras, limits on force, and protections for U.S. citizens. Senate Democrats should reject DHS funding until reforms are included, and Leader Thune should split DHS from the broader package to fund the rest of government and avoid a shutdown. Secretary Noem should resign-if she won't, Congress should pursue impeachment."

"Today, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Chairman Aguilar, Rep. Ruiz, and Inland Empire community leaders to say one word: enough," said Rep. Mark Takano. "CBP and ICE are out of control, and Congress cannot pretend this is business as usual. If Donald Trump will not fire Kristi Noem, Congress will impeach her. And without accountability and reform, DHS should not receive another dollar of taxpayer funding."

"Today's press conference sent a clear message: Kristi Noem must be removed from office and Trump's ICE must be dismantled," said Javier Herandez, Executive Director, Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. "ICE's violence and brutality must be stopped, and every person responsible must be held accountable for their lawless behavior. We were proud to stand with our partners on the ground, including CHIRLA and Immigrant Defenders. We applaud Congressmembers Pete Aguilar, Raul Ruiz, and Mark Takano for taking a strong stand against any additional funding for ICE, and for continuing to listen to their communities as they call for an immediate divestment of this harmful agency. The fight continues, and IC4IJ will continue to fight for justice and freedom for immigrants."

"DHS has created an environment where masked agents can act with impunity, operating in the shadows, inflicting violence upon our neighbors, and evading responsibility," said Melissa Shepard, Director of Legal Services, Immigrant Defenders Law Center. "When there is no accountability, abuse becomes policy. We stand in solidarity with our elected officials to demand transparency and demand accountability. Safety means nothing without accountability, and we will stand firm until dignity is restored in the immigration system." "Under the Trump administration, immigration enforcement has focused on terrorizing working-class people while failing to deliver on promises of economic improvement," said Yunuen Trujillo, Director of Workers' Rights and Labor Legal Services, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). "Billions of our tax dollars have funded an agenda of brutality that weakens workers' rights and erodes due process for everyone. We demand accountability for the murders of U.S. citizens and immigrants, and for the brutality and lawlessness of immigration operations-and that not one more tax dollar be given to DHS."