Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need For Bipartisan Cooperation To Rein In ICE And End The Violence
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) today spoke on the Senate floor calling on Leader Thune to work with Senate Democrats and separate DHS funding from the appropriations package so the Senate can immediately pass five bipartisan funding bills and work together to make changes to the DHS bill. Leader Schumer outlined three commonsense reforms to rein in ICE and end the violence. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
This is a moment of truth for the United States of America. What the nation witnessed on Saturday in the streets of Minneapolis was a moral abomination. Federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an American citizen, in broad daylight. And it was the second time that agents killed a U.S. citizen in two weeks, after the tragic killing also of Renée Good. Enough is enough.
What ICE is doing, outside the law, is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop. It is state-sanctioned thuggery and it must stop. And Congress has the authority—and the moral obligation—to act.
This morning in Minneapolis, Tom Homan, Donald Trump's border czar, held a press conference. He didn’t say much of significance, but he did say one thing that was important. Here’s what Tom Homan said: “For the people out there who don't like what ICE is doing, if you want certain laws reformed, then take it up with Congress.”
“For the people out there,” Homan said, “who don't like what ICE is doing, if you want certain laws reformed, then take it up with Congress.”
I don’t agree very much with Mr. Homan—and he’s certainly not my choice for someone to lower the temperature in Minneapolis—but he’s right in saying the epicenter of change has to be Congress, not the executive branch. And change is desperately needed, because the images of masked agents beating people up in the streets and shooting American citizens in broad daylight have shocked the conscience.
Alex was holding his hand up. He had one hand up and another hand holding, I believe it was, a [phone], and they shot him. Many times. It made every American recoil to see that our law enforcement is doing that to our citizens. It is confounding. It does not look like America, these pictures, oh no. And it’s been unleashed by Donald Trump and the people under him. Noem, who should be out of there. Thank God they got rid of Bovino. His face, when you saw him, he looked like he was grimacing like a thug. This has got to stop.
Congress must step up to the plate. The Republican Majority must step up to the plate. Republicans in Congress cannot allow this violent status quo to continue. They must work with Democrats on legislation, real legislation, strong legislation, to rein ICE in.
Let me be clear: Democrats are ready to pass five bipartisan funding bills in the Senate. We are ready to pass them today. We are ready to fund 96% of the federal government today. But the DHS bill still needs a lot of work.
So, after meeting yesterday as a caucus, Senate Democrats are united on three main goals that will rein in ICE and end the violence. Rein in ICE and end the violence. First, end roving patrols. Second, enforce accountability. Third, masks off and body cameras off. Each officer must have visible ID.
Now, nobody thinks we’re going to solve every single problem in one fell swoop. But the American people are demanding that something gets done. And of course, to pass legislation and enshrine this into law we need our Republican colleagues to come along.
So again, first, we need to end ICE’s indiscriminate patrols. We need to tighten the rules governing the use of warrants. ICE needs to stop the mass, chaotic patrols. They need to work with state law enforcement, local law enforcement–not against them. That means no more ICE agents barging into people’s homes without a judicial warrant. When does that ever happen in America? It’s a flagrant violation of the 4th amendment. It also means stopping the dragnet harassment of American communities.
Second, we need accountability. ICE needs to be held to the same basic standards as any law enforcement agency in the country. We need a uniform code of conduct for ICE and all federal agents, just like state and local law enforcement have. If they violate these standards–like in the instances of Renée Good and Alex Pretti–they must be held fully accountable. And we need independent investigations, not ICE investigating itself. ICE, the leadership of which is a bunch of liars, we don't trust them to do the investigation. Most Americans might be shocked to learn that these basic rules do not apply right now to federal agents like ICE. It’s the kind of thing most people would just assume is already in place because it’s so obvious. But that is not true when it comes to ICE. They are operating effectively outside the law. And a small glimpse of a video taken by a bystanding citizen shows it every day, every minute. You see these videos again, you recoil. It's not America. It's thugs roaming our streets.
Third, we need the masks to come off, and we need the body cameras to stay on. No more secret police. Masks must come off and body cameras must stay on. Agents need to carry clear identification. The public deserves transparency, as it has always asked for with law enforcement.
These three—ending the roving patrols, enforcing accountability, masks off, cameras on—are commonsense reforms. They are reforms that Americans already expect from law enforcement.
Now, the onus is on Leader Thune and Senate Republicans to work with Democrats to turn these goals into legislation. They are in the majority, Republicans are. They are the ones who have the responsibility to govern, and Democrats are ready to come to the table.
If Republicans refuse to work with us to rein in ICE and to end the violence, they’re telling the American people they’re choosing to protect ICE over choosing to protect people’s safety.
Americans by and large, support law enforcement, I do, and most people support border security. I do as well. But Americans do not support ICE terrorizing our streets, operating outside the law, killing American citizens. The madness and the violence must end. Congress must act to rein in ICE and end the violence. Rein in ICE and end the violence. The American people deserve nothing less.
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