Today: Republicans Refuse to Hear Stories of their Fellow Citizens Attacked by ICE & CBP, Reject Subpoenaing Tom Homan & Stephen Miller
(WASHINGTON) – Today, during a Congressional oversight hearing on Capitol Hill, the Committee on Homeland Security received testimony from U.S. Citizens who have been profiled, targeted, detained, and attacked by ICE and CBP under the Trump administration. Marimar Martinez, George Retes Jr., Ryan Ecklund, and Reverend David Black each heroically told their stories for the first time on the record before Congress and under oath.
Republicans did not attend the hearing – shamefully refusing to listen to the stories of their fellow Citizens’ rights being violated by their government.
“I want to thank the witnesses who came to DC to tell us their stories before Congress and on the record. It took real courage to do so,” said Committee Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS). “It is clear that the violence that our fellow Citizens were subjected to by the Trump administration must never be allowed to happen again.
“However, it is beyond shameful that not a single Committee Republican could come to face their fellow Citizens or ask them any questions. I’m sorry they didn’t have the guts to hear about the pain, suffering, and loss this administration has inflicted on people in communities across America. It’s past time for Republicans to realize their oath isn’t to Donald Trump, it’s to the Constitution and the American people. Doing nothing is not an option. They need to step up and do their job.”
Republicans also rejected a demand by Committee Democrats to subpoena White House officials Tom Homan and Stephen Miller – the architects of Trump’s mass deportations – even though they were no-shows at today’s hearing after they were invited by the Chairman.
Citizens attacked by CBP and ICE who testified today:
- Marimar Martinez, U.S. Citizen shot five times by CBP
- George Retes Jr., U.S. Citizen, veteran, and father who was tear gassed and pepper sprayed, trapped in his car and detained for days by ICE
- Ryan Ecklund, U.S. Citizen violently detained by ICE for exercising his First Amendment rights
- Rev. David Black, U.S. Citizen shot in the head with pepper-ball rounds by DHS while exercising his First Amendment rights outside a detention facility
After Republicans previously declined to invite critical witnesses from ICE and CBP to come before the Committee to answer questions about what this administration has done to the country – and why the Department of Homeland Security is still shut down – Committee Democrats used House rules to force a “Minority Day Hearing” to get answers for the American people. Minority Day Hearings are extremely rare – only a handful have occurred in recent years – and are used to ensure the witnesses of the Minority’s choosing are invited to testify before the Committee. At the request of Committee Democrats and pursuant to House Rules, the Chairman invited Tom Homan and Stephen Miller to appear, but they did not show up.
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