Rep. Jamie Raskin demands details on U.S. citizens caught up in ICE enforcement
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is asking the Trump administration to do some explaining about U.S. citizens who were caught up in recent immigration enforcement actions.
The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is asking the Trump administration to do some explaining about U.S. citizens who were caught up in recent immigration enforcement actions.
Following up on a report by NBC News, Rep. Jamie Raskin, House Judiciary Committee ranking member, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a subcommittee ranking member, asked for an accounting of immigration enforcement actions since Jan. 20 involving U.S. citizens.
The request was made in a letter signed by Raskin, D-Md., and Jayapal, D-Wash., whose subcommittee oversees immigration. It was sent Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Caleb Vitello, Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director. A copy of the letter was first provided to NBC News.
“If you’re not out looking for criminals based on crimes committed, but undocumented immigrants based on their looks, you’re going to sweep up a lot of innocent people, including innocent citizens,” Raskin said in a statement to NBC News. “We’ve already seen cases of racial and ethnic profiling leading to the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens. That’s why I’m demanding answers about some of these profoundly troubling stories we’ve heard about citizens being targeted, detained and questioned.”
The lawmakers noted that per a 2015 ICE policy regarding investigation of U.S. citizens, “ICE cannot assert its civil immigration enforcement authority to arrest and/or detain a U.S. citizen.” And ICE officers and agents and attorneys have to handle the interactions with the “utmost care and highest priority,” the letter stated.
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