Ranking Member Thompson Statement on Incident at New Jersey ICE Facility
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, released the below statement on the incident at the Delaney Hall U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey yesterday where members of Congress were attacked by ICE agents while attempting to conduct lawful oversight of the facility:
“I 100 percent stand by my colleagues fulfilling their duties to conduct oversight. The law is clear - ICE must let them in when they show up to detention facilities. We will continue to keep showing up. While congressional Republicans are completely AWOL and refuse to conduct any oversight of this out of control administration, we must.
“ICE needs to keep its hands to itself and treat everyone with respect. They are officers of the law - not Trump’s stormtroopers. If this is how they treat Members of Congress when the cameras are rolling, I can’t imagine what they are doing to our neighbors in the dark of night. More oversight - and more unannounced visits - are clearly urgently needed.
“Lastly, the administration must drop any fascist inclinations to arrest members of Congress for simply doing their job. We know there is zero justification for this - and we know this administration’s lies are incessant.”
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