Democratic Members of House Homeland Security Committee Host Oversight Forum on Trump Administration’s Illegal Detentions and Deportations

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Dan Goldman (NY-10), and Lou Correa (CA-46) hosted an oversight forum titled Trump's DHS: Unaccountable, Unlawful, Unconstitutional.

Under the Trump Administration the Department of Homeland Security has engaged in the wrongful detention and deportation of lawful residents and U.S. citizens, unauthorized United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations on private property, and unsafe, unsanitary conditions in detention centers.

Alejandro Barranco, whose father was violently detained by ICE agents, speaks during an oversight forum on immigration practices under the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security.

“The Trump Administration’s immigration policies have gone far beyond what most Americans consider fair or just, targeting grandparents, children, veterans, and even U.S. citizens for deportation,” said Magaziner. “The American people want a balanced approach to fixing our broken immigration system that focuses on deporting those who have committed violent crimes, not innocent people just trying to make a living. The Trump administration has been too extreme in their approach, and today’s forum shed light on the real human cost of their actions.”

"At the CHS Oversight Forum, we have built the case that under the Trump Administration DHS is an out-of-control, abusive, terror force. They disregard the law, reject accountability, and trample on the very foundations of our Constitution," said Ramirez. "When those who claim to serve our national security become a force to terrorize our nation, a movement rises up to resist. And we will continue resisting in the streets, in the courts, and in Congress through oversight and accountability."

"Donald Trump has militarized ICE to act with impunity, snatching immigrants from courtrooms and off the streets, tearing them away from their families, their jobs, and their communities, and disappearing them for days in inhumane conditions," said Goldman. "DHS is illegally blocking Congress from conducting statutorily-authorized oversight of detention facilities, where we have heard accounts of detainees being held in horrific conditions without adequate food, water, medicine or showers. While Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee refuse to hold this administration accountable for its draconian and anti-American immigration crackdown, I will keep calling out these unconstitutional abuses and fight for our communities."

“Alejandro Barranco is a veteran who served this great country and could be called back to serve at any time. They make movies about people like him,” said Correa. “And even after his father was illegally detained and thrown into a detention center, he still says he’s willing to lay down his life for his country. He just wants a fair shot for his parents. His story is the American story. Not rounding up innocent people and ripping families apart.” 

View full recording of the Democrats’ oversight forum on Trump’s detention and deportation practices here.

View or download photos from Democrats’ oversight forum on Trump’s detention and deportation practices here.

During the forum, Democrats heard from panelists about how the Trump administration’s immigration policies violated the rights of people in the United States, including attorneys representing those who were wrongfully targeted and family members of individuals mistreated by ICE.

• Alejandro Barranco, a United States Marine Corps veteran and the son of Narciso Barranco, who was violently arrested by ICE, shared his personal account of his father’s detention and release.
• Sirine Shebaya, Executive Director of the National Immigration Project, highlighted cases in which individuals’ rights may have been violated under current immigration enforcement practices.
• Jesse Franzblau, Associate Director of Policy at the National Immigrant Justice Center, detailed instances where ICE exceeded prior legal limits on warrantless arrests and vehicle stops.
• Karla Marie Ostolaza, Managing Director of Immigration Practice at The Bronx Defenders, spoke about the Department of Homeland Security’s use of pressure tactics targeting individuals who are actively complying with the immigration process.

Members of Congress in attendance included U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Nanette Díaz Barragán (CA-44), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Troy Carter (LA-02), Norma Torres (CA-35), and Shri Thanedar (MI-13). 

PANELIST QUOTES

“I believe my brothers and I are a reflection of who my father really is: a law abiding, proud, and patriotic man. My father has no criminal record and should have never been attacked by these agents. He supported his family and paid taxes. He is a human being, but he was not treated with the basic dignity he deserved,” said Alejandro Barranco during his remarks. “My father was eventually granted bond and came home. But the trauma that day and the brokenness of this system remains in our hearts and we are still under a cloud. My father is an outstanding member of the community and should have never been attacked the way he was.”

“The rapid fire turnaround on deportations with disappearing people or putting them in crowded holding cells where lawyers can't access them and the families can't access them seems designed to stop people from pursuing legal remedies that are available to them,” said Sirine Shebaya during her remarks. “The administration has fully leaned into a dragnet approach to enforcement and detention that is tearing families apart and fundamentally destroying any semblance of due process or values in the system. At the same time, it has undermined internal agency accountability mechanisms and encouraged its agencies to engage in behavior that is patently unlawful. Beyond being wasteful, expensive, and cruel, that approach predictably leads to abuse and lawlessness, which is what we are seeing today.”

“In 2018, NIJC sued with other civil rights groups over violations of the INA and Fourth Amendment protections after raids occurred in Chicago. And during these raids, ICE officers failed to comply with the very limited warrantless arrest authority before making many of the arrests. And then in 2022, the government agreed to a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit called Castañon Nava vs. DHS. And ICE issued a nationwide policy setting forth requirements and limits for making warrantless arrests and vehicle stops. But of course, this Trump Administration quickly violated the Castañon Nava settlement within a week of its new term in January of this year,” said Jesse Franzblau during his remarks. 

“In the past, over the last decade, I was able to assure clients that ICE will not deport them before the court proceedings were concluded. That is no longer true. I cannot give that assurance anymore,” said Karla Marie Ostolaza during her remarks. “In a few short months, we have seen a sharp, dangerous shift in ICE’s operations. What’s happening is not business as usual. It is a deliberate dismantling of due process and a campaign of fear targeting our communities. We need oversight, transparency, and accountability now.”