Durbin Calls Out DHS’ Cruel Immigration Enforcement Tactics Ahead Of Secretary Noem’s Testimony In The Senate Judiciary Committee

WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, previewed tomorrow's Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during which Secretary Kristi Noem will be questioned about the agency's weaponization. As Durbin noted in his speech, Secretary Noem has undermined the mission of DHS by directing federal agents to indiscriminately arrest U.S. citizens and immigrants-most of whom do not have a criminal record and do not pose a threat to their community-and detain them in inhumane conditions without access to legal representation.

"Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee will convene an oversight hearing where we will finally hear from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem," Durbin said. "I want to thank Chairman Grassley for holding the hearing after months and months of stonewalling by the Secretary… Under Secretary Noem's leadership, DHS is operating without a moral compass or any respect for the rule of law. Tomorrow, she must answer for this recklessness."

Durbin then criticized Secretary Noem's approach to immigration policy. Rather than focusing on the "worst of the worst," as President Trump repeatedly promised on the campaign trail, DHS has terrorized communities by indiscriminately arresting people and wielding unnecessary and violent force against people, including American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were killed by federal immigration agents.

"The Administration has claimed it's targeting the 'worst of the worst,' but DHS' own data shows that, during the President's first year back in office, fewer than 14 percent of those arrested had charges or convictions for violent offenses," Durbin said. "Here's the reality: the Administration has not backed down from Stephen Miller's arbitrary quota of 3,000 arrests a day. To meet that number, ICE is casting a wide net, sweeping up American citizens, people with legal status, Dreamers, and people with no criminal records-people who have built their lives and raised their children here, becoming valued members of our communities."

Durbin spoke about the impact of the Trump Administration's so-called "Operation Midway Blitz," which wreaked havoc on the Chicago area, and he recounted the story of Chicagoan Marimar Martinez, who was shot five times by a federal immigration agent.

"Let's call this what it is-political theater and deliberate cruelty intended to terrorize our communities. My home state of Illinois saw it play out on our streets, with dangerous consequences," Durbin said. "Last month, I met Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen and a teaching assistant at a Montessori school in Chicago… She didn't do anything provocative and agents turned their weapons on her and shot her five times. Five times! Miraculously, she survived. But the agent involved bragged about shooting her and covering up the evidence… The Administration brought trumped-up charges against her, and what happened several weeks later? They dropped all the charges."

Durbin spoke about the ongoing negotiations to reform DHS, and he made the case for federal immigration agents to remove their masks, display their identification, and use judicial warrants.

"The American people are sick and tired of seeing this campaign of terror and lawlessness unfold before their very eyes. That's why Senate Democrats have drawn a hard line in DHS funding negotiations, demanding commonsense basic police reforms to rein in ICE's lawlessness. These reforms include removing the masks, displaying identification, stopping roving patrols, obtaining judicial warrants to enter private homes, and following the same use-of-force standards that law enforcement agencies across America already follow," Durbin said.

Durbin concluded his speech by emphasizing that Senate Judiciary Democrats will use tomorrow's hearing to hold the Trump Administration accountable for its unconscionable actions against U.S. citizens and immigrants.

"Tomorrow, Secretary Noem will finally come before the Senate Judiciary Committee and answer for what happened on her watch. Believe me, she has a lot to answer for. Under her leadership, DHS has become President Trump's de facto paramilitary force-an agency determined to violate court orders, lie to the American people, disregard our [First and Fourth] Amendment rights, and racially profile immigrants and U.S. citizens alike with the 'Kavanaugh stops,'" Durbin said.

Durbin concluded, "The American people are demanding answers, and it is the duty of the Senate Judiciary Committee to ask these important questions. My Democratic colleagues and I intend to do just that."

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

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