Continuation of the Full Committee Hearing on March 25, 2026, titled “Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans”
No chapters available yet
Legend
Transcript markers
- text Sentence being played
- text Search result
- text Intervention cited by the link you opened
Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.
More options
House Homeland Security U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 2
Ironic for Republicans to call Democratic hearings requests unserious when the chairman's seven-page invitation letter was more than that of the entirety of Republicans oversight this congress. It's a shame. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has ignored Democrats' oversight requests, all Congress, and refused to release critical evidence against ICE and CBP in the death of Renee and Alex. In January, every Democrat on this committee signed a letter to then secretary Christie Nome demanding video recordings and other documents in the death of Miss Good and Mr. Pretty. Four months later, that letter is still unanswered.
Mister chairman, I ask that letter be included in the record. Okay. We remember them today, and our prayers are with their loved ones. I wanna thank the witnesses who are here to tell their stories on the record. It takes real courage to do that, and we thank them for coming forward.
Myrmar Martinez, a US citizen and preschool teacher, was shot five times by a border patrol agent after he rammed into her vehicle as she drove through a Chicago neighborhood. Reverend David Black, senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, was outside the Broadview ICE detention facility praying when DHS law enforcement officers shot him with pepper balls multiple times. George Reedis, a US citizen and Iraqi combat veteran, was on his way to work last July when DHS agents pepper-sprayed him, arrested him, and locked him up for three days before finally releasing him. Ryan Eklund, a US citizen from Minnesota, was violently arrested and detained for hours without explanation after recording ICE activity from his vehicle. I asked the clerk to please play a short video showing what Trump's DHS did to our witnesses.
Speaker 3
Just looked down, and I looked at my hand. It was full of blood. That's when I realized, like, I really actually gushed up.
Speaker 4
Marimar Martinez is a teacher's assistant at a Montessori school in Chicago. Watch closely as this angle shows Exxon pull his own wheel to the left, into Martinez's car, contradicting federal statements that she ran into them.
Speaker 5
Will be an army veteran George Retis. You can see some aerial video from back in July. Retis is in that white vehicle there. He's arriving at his workplace as a raid was taking place. Now agents later broke his window.
They pepper sprayed him. They detained him in jail for 3 days before releasing him. And though DHS later said in a statement that he had been arrested for assault, he was never charged.
Speaker 6
Good morning. Morning. I stepped forward, and I prayed for the ICE officers who were, and as I was praying audibly to them, they'd open fire on me and shot me twice in the head, another five times on the body at least.
Speaker 7
As someone, Ryan Eklin tells us that he had just dropped off a kid at school. He had headed over to the grocery store to pick up some things when he noticed, pretty clearly, an ICE vehicle.
Speaker 8
One of those ICE agents went into the back seat, gave me a choke hold around the driver's headrest, and those five agents pulled me to the streets, put me in cuffs, and put me in an unmarked van.
Speaker 2
Violence against Americans, like we saw on a video, must never happen again. Doing nothing is not an option. Mister chairman, I'm sorry mister Miller and mister Holman didn't have the guts to show up and face these witnesses today. I'm sorry they didn't have the guts to answer for the pain, suffering, and loss they've inflicted on people and 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. They need to step up and do their job. Join us in ensuring that Donald Trump and his henchmen can never do this to Americans again. Thank you, mister chairman, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record. I would now like to formally introduce our witness, Miss Marmar Martinez. I recognize Mister Trujillo García for 30 seconds to introduce his constituent.
Speaker 9
Thank you, mister chairman, Gaborino, for this opportunity to introduce Marimar Martinez. Marimar is my constituent and a U.S. citizen. She works as a teaching assistant at a Montessori school. Marimar was shot five times by border patrol agent Charles Exxon, who bragged about it to his fellow agents. Despite dismissing the bogus charges against her, the Trump administration continues to lie about Marimar and smear her as a domestic terrorist.
I'm proud that Marimar was my guest at the State of the Union. I commend her courage for speaking out about what she's endured, and I strongly support her pursuit of justice and accountability, including the release of all the evidence in her case. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Pastor David Black, Mister George Rites Junior, and Mister Ryan Eklund. I thank all the witnesses for being here today. Present pursuant to committee rule 8 c, I ask that the witnesses please rise and raise their right hand. I solemnly swear that the testimony you'll give before the committee on homeland security of the United States House of Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you, God.
Alright. We can, please, let the record reflect that the witnesses have answered the affirmative. Thank you, and please be seated. I now recognize Miss Martinez for five minutes to summarize her opening statement.
Speaker 3
My name is Marimar Martínez. I stand here not only as a survivor of this administration's actions, but as a voice for those who cannot be heard. Those pleading for justice, living in fear, and demanding real change, transparency, and accountability. I am raised and born in Chicago, Illinois. I am a daughter of immigrants, a first-generation Mexican American.
I learned the values of resilience, community, respect, love, and hope. We build, and we dream. That's what immigrant families do. We learn to bloom in places that try to bury us. On October 4, those values were tested when my life was nearly taken by my own government.
On Saturday, 10/04/2025, I left my home after spending the morning preparing clothes and shoes to donate to the local church. As I drove to the church, I noticed an SUV that appeared consistent with a border patrol vehicle that had been invading my Hispanic neighborhood in recent weeks. As I got closer, I saw what appeared to be an Uber light in the front windshield. No front plates as required in Illinois and an out of state license plate. A uniformed border patrol agent.
I was aware and concerned about recent incidents in my community. For a short period of time, I followed the vehicle and alerted my community by honking and shouting La Migra, to warn my neighbors about the presence of these agents who have been terrorizing our community over the past few weeks. My vehicle was 2 to 3 feet to the left of the Border Patrol vehicle. At one point, Border Patrol agents started to swerve into my lane as we were driving. I made eye contact with the driver of the Border Patrol vehicle and watched as he turned his steering wheel once again to the left and swiped my vehicle.
I immediately froze, slammed on the brakes, and stopped my car. The border patrol stopped just one or two car lengths ahead of me. At that moment, I believed I was in danger based on what I knew from watching the news coverage of ICE agents and counties in Chicago that I was in danger. I drove forward and went around the border patrol agents who jumped out of their car and pointed a gun at me. I moved to the far left lane, striking the curb on the far left side.
The next thing I knew, I felt burning sensations in my arms and legs. Shortly after, I began to feel sharp impacts and a burning sensation. As I continued to drive past the border patrol agents, I could hear my back passenger window shatter. I looked down and noticed blood gushing out of my arms and legs, and I realized I had been shot multiple times. I managed to drive a mile from where the incident happened, and I pulled into a parking lot of a mechanic shop and called 911.
At the hospital, I remember seeing multiple agents standing around, watching me treated for my wounds. My arms, legs, and chest were all wrapped in dressings. I had 7 bullet holes in my body. I remember the agents rushing the nurses to finish up so they could take me to jail. After being at the hospital for less than three hours, I was discharged and placed into the custody of the FBI.
Because I had been rushed out of the hospital so quickly, the blood started soaking through the dressings. FBI agent called an ambulance and transported me back to another hospital where my wounds were treated. And I received additional medical care before being released back into FBI custody, and taken to prison. The news in the jail that evening had my story. I was being called a domestic terrorist.
They said I ran into federal agents. I was in shock if they only knew I was just months away from paying my car, and I never intentionally damaged my vehicle, much less be crazy enough to hit a law enforcement vehicle. On Friday, I was teaching the young children at the Montessori school, and on Saturday, my own government was calling me a domestic terrorist. And I was in a federal detention center with bullet holes all over my body. Two weeks before, the government dismissed all my charges and my case, I sat in a federal courtroom and watched over 20 feet away as the border patrol agent who attempted to kill me testify at a hearing.
Charles Exxon. Charles Exxon was my attempted executioner. Exxon was in the courtroom testifying, explaining why he took his vehicle that I allegedly ramped out of the secure FBI evidence garage and drove it back to me, where the CPP on-site mechanic was ordered to buff out damages to the vehicle. This was all done prior to me or my attorney having the ability to examine the vehicle. The reason for this was unknown.
Watching Charles Exxon testify felt deeply rotten. I grew reverend law enforcement. Witnessing ICE actions, however, changed that belief; what I saw did not reflect the values I had trusted. Despite assurance that these operations will focus on the worst of the worst, their actions and statements made on their own tell a different story. The evidence does not show a focus on the most dangerous individuals.
Instead, it suggests the patterns of targeting people who fit a certain profile. Individuals are being singled out, characterized by their accent, color of their skin. This raises serious concerns about fairness, discrimination, and abuse of authority. The lack of accountability for these actions is deeply troubling. We, the people, are tired of this misconduct and the ban on transparency and accountability.
Seeing Charles X, I'm sitting in federal courtroom and lie about what happened that day completely eroded all my trust in law enforcement. I know, just because.
Speaker 1
General lady, as time has expired, I'm sorry, but we have to keep hearing going. I now recognize Reverend Pastor Black to summarize his opening statement.
Speaker 6
Chairman Garbarino. Ranking member Thompson. Members of the committee. My name is Pastor Black. I serve a community church on the South Side of Chicago.
My calling is as ordinary as they come, to preach the gospel and to care for the people of God. I have often felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to minister in places where people are suffering and calling for justice. That is what Jesus taught his followers to do, and like many of you, I happen to be a Bible-believing Christian. I'm aware that all of the Republican and most of the Democrat members of this committee are also Christians. I hope that you will receive me today not as a political adversary, but as a sibling and a friend in Christ.
The Department of Homeland Security was created to protect our communities from political extremists. ICE and CBP were designed to prevent terrorism, but now they appear to be creating more fear and violence in American communities than the threats they are designed to prevent. Families across America are sheltering in their homes for fear that a father, mother, or child might be abducted and deported without due process. Chemical warfare is being unleashed by agents of ICE and CBP against citizens and residents of American communities who pose no threat. ICE has shot and killed people who are lawfully recording their operations.
Countless Americans who assemble to peacefully protest these atrocities have been attacked by ICE and CBP with brutal, and sometimes deadly, force. I am one of them. On the evening of 09/19/2025, I joined a group of clergy and activists peacefully protesting outside the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. I went as a Christian minister in traditional clerical attire. I approached the building with my arms outstretched and quoted Jesus to the agents, urging them to repent, for the kingdom of God is near.
The masked agents opened fire on me, shooting me at least 7 times in the head, in the face, and the body with pepper balls, which their manufacturer warns can cause severe or permanent injury or death when fired at sensitive areas like the head and the face. What was done to me is only a reflection of what is being done to people in my community who have no pulpit and no platform. On a daily basis, I witness the fear and suffering of those who are being targeted by this violent campaign. People in my community are struggling to pay for food, housing, and health care. Meanwhile, they're living in fear that a member of their family or community could be taken by ICE regardless of their citizenship status, simply on the basis of the language they speak or the color of their skin.
People have a right to come to America seeking safety. Those of us who call ourselves Christians have a spiritual responsibility to receive them as our neighbors. That is the demand that Jesus places upon us who are his disciples, telling us that what we do for those who are strangers, those who are hungry, those who are sick, and those who are imprisoned, we have done for him. There's an effort underway to increase funding for ICE and CBP's abhorrent activities by tens of billions of dollars, with funding that has been taken from Medicaid and food programs like SNAP. This is quite literally an effort to take food out of the mouths of babies to pay for tear gas and bullets for ICE to use against Americans.
I want to remind members that a budget is a moral document, that what we spend reflects our priorities as a nation. We must ask whether those priorities are food, health care, housing, and public safety, or whether the priority is to intensify the fear and the violence gripping our nation. As a Christian and an American, I am horrified by the radical evil being perpetrated by my government. Jesus suffered torture and execution to liberate the world from the forces of spiritual evil that oppress it. Yet many of those calling themselves Christian have built and sustained institutions that dominate, coerce, and terrorize.
ICE and CBP are two such institutions. They cannot coexist with the Kingdom of God. The only righteous path forward is to abolish these agencies, and in contrition and true repentance, rededicate their funding to support programs that feed the hungry, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and set captives free. Remember, friends, that what we do for them, we are doing for Christ himself. Let those with ears to hear listen.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, Mields back. I now recognize Mister Retes. Hope I got that right for five minutes, to summarize his opening statement.
Speaker 10
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and provide this testimony. My name is George Perez. I'm 26 years old, a US citizen, a veteran, and a father of two from Ventura, California. Last July, I was wrongfully detained by federal agents during an immigration raid while on my way to work. I did everything right.
I identified myself. I told them I was an American citizen. I told them I was a veteran. I pointed out my place of work, which was right behind the barricade they established. None of it mattered.
In that moment, my constitutional rights didn't protect me. My service didn't protect me. My citizen, my citizenship didn't protect me. I want you to understand exactly what that situation looked like. On 07/10/2025, I was driving to my job as a security guard at a licensed farm in Camarillo, California.
Federal agents, federal immigration agents, were lined across the road that led to the farm where I worked. I clearly stayed in my citizenship and fully complied with officers, even though they were all yelling contradictory orders, and no one was clearly in charge. Agents were yelling at me to reverse, to get out of my vehicle, to pull over to the side, to leave. Yet despite everything, doing everything right, I was detained and treated as if I had no rights. Agents engulfed my car with tear gas, smashed my window, pepper-sprayed my face, and dragged me out.
I was choking on gas, unable to breathe. And even though I wasn't resisting, I had one agent nailing on my back and another nailing on my neck, while my hands were already behind my back. I was first taken to a navy base where the agents took my fingerprints, picture, and DNA. I was then taken to a detention center and a house for 3 days without charges. No phone call, no lawyer, no medical care, even though my skin burned from the chemicals.
I never even got to shower. Friday morning, I was put on suicide watch. Suicide watch is a yellow concrete room with a concrete bed and a tiny mattress on top. They leave the lights on twenty-four seven. I'm naked in the hospital gown, and the guard watches me.
I'm like that in those conditions from Friday morning to the point I was released. I was released with zero charges and no explanation for anything that happened. I missed my daughter's third birthday, well, in this unjustified inattention. After my release, the harm did not stop. Instead of correcting the record, officials from DHS, specifically DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, used social media to spread false and misleading statements about me, an attempt to justify my detention and undermine my credibility.
I was wrongfully detained and then publicly misrepresented by the very agency that violated my rights. That is not transparency. That has damage control at the expense of the truth. What happened to me is not just a mistake. It is a failure of process, a failure of count of accountability, a failure of training, and it was a breakdown of the basic responsibility the government has to the people it serves.
We talk a lot in this country about law and order, but law and order only work when the law is applied correctly, and when the people enforcing it are held accountable when they get it wrong. Because when federal agents can violate someone's rights and face no immediate consequences, that is not law and order. That is government overreach. If a US citizen, an army veteran, someone who complied, identified himself, and broke no law can be treated this way, detained without charges, denied basic rights, physically restrained, and then publicly smeared to justify it, then no one in this country is as safe as they believe they are. The constitution does not apply when it is convenient.
Civil rights do not disappear because an agency makes a mistake, and truth does not stop mattering because it is uncomfortable. I'm not asking for sympathy. I'm asking for accountability, not just for myself, but for everyone who does not have a platform, a lawyer, or the ability to stand in front of you and tell their story. Because if this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Thank you again for inviting me to testify.
I welcome your questions.
Speaker 1
Thank you very much. I now recognize Mister Eklund for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.
Speaker 8
Chair, ranking member, and members of the committee, my name is Ryan Eklund. I'm a lifelong Minnesota resident, a business owner, a husband, a father, and a United States citizen. On January 7, Renee Good was shot and killed in Minneapolis by ICE. She left behind loved ones, including a young son, and that event was broadcast worldwide, and immediately sparked conversations about what immigration agents were really doing in Minnesota. When my older son asked my wife and me if ice was going to come to our East Metro suburb of Woodbury, my wife gave what she thought was a truthful answer, that ice would probably stay in the more densely populated areas and that his friends would remain safe.
Just five days later, my family and I learned that it was not the case. On Monday, January 12, after dropping my son off at school, I went to the grocery store less than a mile from our home. I saw a vehicle with heavily tinted windows, Texas license plates, slowly rolling through the parking lot. And as they drove by, I noticed men in tactical gear and face coverings. At that moment, I made a decision to grab my phone and record the vehicle as I followed it from a safe distance.
Now I've been asked by many people why I made that decision, and the simple answer was, and continues to be, accountability. Up to this point, ICE and their presence in the Twin Cities had been well documented, and I felt a strong conviction to continue to hold these individuals and the administration who sent them to spread fear and intimidation accountable for their actions in my own community. As other events showed, the best way to hold federal agents in Minneapolis accountable for their misconduct was by documenting their actions, so that's what I did. Once the vehicle noticed me following, the agents parked in another area, and I parked a few spaces away. An ICE agent in military fatigues came up to my window and took my photo, said nothing, got back into the vehicle, and then left the shopping area.
I continued to follow them down the road as they then turned into my neighborhood, down my street, and into my cul-de-sac, driving directly past my house. I realized they had likely used facial recognition software to identify me. Please consider this for a moment, that a government agent used advanced technology to identify and intimidate a US citizen for exercising his First Amendment rights. What purpose does this serve? Remember, these agents were not in pursuit of a violent criminal.
They were lurking in a grocery store parking lot at 9:45 in the morning. I followed them out of my neighborhood, and an additional vehicle joined the front of our caravan. Then the agents boxed in my car, and five masked ice agents then approached my vehicle. One of the agents opened my door, and another agent came to the back seat and put me in a chokehold. They forced me from my vehicle and onto the ground.
I was never ordered out of the vehicle, and at no point did any of these men identify themselves. One agent had a knee on my back, and another had a knee on my neck. And that agent moved and scraped my face on the pavement. My hands were forced behind my back, and I was handcuffed and put into an unmarked van, and transported to the Whipple Federal Building. Once at the Federal Building, I was put into leg irons and into an empty holding cell.
And throughout my nine-hour unlawful detention, I was joined by eight additional detainees, each one a US citizen. One of the young men who entered after me was an apprentice plumber and said that he was on a new home construction job site in the South Metro when ICE came to the property. And once he declined to shake the ICE agent's hand, he was put into custody. I was released that evening with no charges, and less than two weeks later, Alex Pretty, who former secretary known called a domestic terrorist, was shot 10 times by ICE. The siege on the people of the Twin Cities by their own government has forever altered our state, and in response, Minnesotans do what we always do.
We show up for one another. We stood up for one another. We supported our neighbors, delivered food to those who didn't feel safe leaving their homes, and stood with our children at the bus stop, so they wouldn't feel scared. We protected and supported our immigrant-owned businesses, and we proved that Minnesota is not a place but a way of being. The administration hoped the Twin Cities would be a proving ground for the farce that was Operation Metro Surge.
And instead, they learned why Minnesotans have always known when we all do better. We will spend years accounting for the financial toll taken on the Twin Cities, and we will spend years recovering from the fear instilled in our valued immigrant communities. But I believe in us, Minnesotans showed the world what courage looks like. When operations like this are carried out without precision, without transparency, and without accountability, they impact entire communities. This committee has a responsibility to demand answers and to met demand accurate data.
The American people deserve the truth, and our citizens demand accountability. And only those who want to avoid accountability need to wear masks to do their job. Right. Thank you.
Speaker 1
Thank you very much. Members will be recognized by order of seniority for their five minutes of questioning. I'll be keeping to the five-minute rule like we've been doing at these hearings. I now recognize the ranking member for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 2
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I think the record needs to reflect that the four witnesses here are all American citizens. They have every right, entitled to them that an American citizen should have guaranteed by the constitution of The United States Of America. More importantly, though, is that issue comes with agencies that are tasked with the responsibility of protecting them. And the stories that I've heard today give validity to why we're having this minority hearing today.
Republicans don't want to hear the truth. If they did, we could have had a formal hearing, with these witnesses and whoever they wanted to put in front of us to refute it, but they didn't. So here we had to pull out an arcane law, a rule where if you don't get your hearing, you have a minority day. So we're here. And as a nation of laws, Republicans have shut down DHS for over two months, rather than agree to reform and prevent out-of-control ICE and CBP personnel from hurting Americans and terrorizing communities.
They refused to conduct oversight and dismiss hearings as, quote, a distraction and not a serious attempt at conducting oversight. The point that I wanna make is almost to the person, everybody that we have as a witness, almost within a matter of minutes, the public notice from the federal agency was that you were breaking the law. Somehow, those agents were responding to out-of-control citizens. Well, we show in the film that that's not the case. And, so, Miss Martinez, Mister Raeders, Miss Mister Erkeland, and Reverend Black, you all are worthy of this committee's oversight.
So I ask you, do you believe that what you experienced at the hands of your own government is serious?
Speaker 2
So is oversight of ICE and CBP a distraction, or does it demand congressional attention?
Speaker 2
So, of course, this is a serious issue. Of course, this committee should be doing its oversight job. It's a shame that Democrats had to force Republicans to hold today's hearing. And, obviously, other than the chairman, not a single Republican on this committee showed up. You know, we took an oath to do our duty.
These are the rules. And for whatever reason, they chose not to come. That's so unfortunate. So, miss Martinez, on 10/04/2025, you were driving in Chicago in a CBP vehicle swiped yours. You were shot five times by a border patrol agent, had seven bullet holes in your body.
Within hours, as I said, DHS put your photo on the press and falsely accused you of being a domestic terrorist when, in fact, you are lawed by a US citizen. The assault charge against you was later dismissed, but DHS has never retracted that press release. The agent who shot you and bragged about it to his buddies is still employed by border patrol. There has been no accountability from DHS. How worried are you that another innocent person might be shot if Congress fails to hold CBP and ICE accountable?
Speaker 3
Well, look at what happened to Renée. Look at what happened to Alex Pretty. It's bound to happen sooner or later. If we don't hold these agents accountable for their actions, more people are gonna get hurt.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. Just set the record straight. This committee did have oversight, it did have CBP commissioner and ICE both here as witnesses. And, again, the minority could have requested these witnesses to be here under the regular order. Just, again, correcting the record there.
I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Cray, for his five minutes.
Speaker 11
Thank you, mister chair and ranking member, and I want to thank the witnesses for being here today. I want you all to step back a little bit, and think about homeland security. The Department of Homeland Security was created to defend America against foreign terrorists 25 years ago. Miss Martinez, are you a terrorist? No.
Mister Black, are you a terrorist?
Speaker 11
President Trump got elected pledging to deport the worst of the worst criminals in our society. So I'm gonna ask each one of you. Miss Martinez, are you a criminal?
Speaker 11
Thank you for your service to our country. Mister Eklund, are you a criminal?
Speaker 11
Miss Martinez, you're a citizen. Yes? Correct. Mister Black, you're a citizen. Yes?
Speaker 11
And what you were doing and what they claimed that made you a terrorist, were you protecting the worst of the worst criminals in your community, Miss Martínez?
Speaker 11
And I'm asking you this because I wanna make sure America understands what's going on right now in homeland security. Okay? We're not talking about the undocumented. We're not talking about the worst. We're talking about American citizens.
Your telephones were taken. Miss Martinez, was your phone taken?
Speaker 8
My phone was taken from me and thrown into the vehicle that was left on the street.
Speaker 11
Do you know if the federal government is now creating a database of American citizens? Miss Martinez, what do you think?
Speaker 6
I believe, sir, that it shows contempt for public safety and contempt for the American people.
Speaker 11
You know, Miss Martinez, back home when you have an officer-involved shooting, there is an investigation. People stop, look, and try to see what happened. And those officers that are generally involved in those shootings have remorse. I know I've talked to them. In your case, what did the officer do after he shot you?
Speaker 3
He bragged about the shooting, practically. Like, he didn't see me as human. I was just disposable.
Speaker 11
And, mister Black, when you were beat up, knocked around, did anybody show remorse, or was something in these situations justified?
Speaker 6
Congressman, we could hear the ICE officers laughing as they shot us. And afterwards, the DHS also posted mocking statements about us.
Speaker 11
After you went through the situation, did any of the officers feel remorse or apologies? You're an American citizen. Did absolutely nothing wrong?
Speaker 11
Mister Eklund, did anybody show remorse, apologize for arresting an American citizen for nothing more than your constitutional First Amendment right? Did anybody say we're apologies?
Speaker 11
On the contrary, mister Ekling, you said you were in a cage with other American citizens.
Speaker 8
Yes? Yes. To the best of my knowledge, all eight people who were in that cell with me were.
Speaker 11
This committee in this country, what is going on with homeland security? Why is this powerful agency not turning on American citizens? Now if you follow the news, they are now buying a bunch of spy software to spy, to eavesdrop, to break into our cell phones without warrants, without any authorization whatsoever. What in God's name is going on? And I hope people watching this hearing today wake up to this, because your stories are the ones I'm hearing back home.
You are not isolated incidents. This is happening all over the country. Mister chairman, just one last statement. 140,000,000,000 last year to the homeland security. That's a number of years' worth of funding in one year.
And this year, they're back for $70,000,000 more. Wake up, America. It's a chairman I yield.
Speaker 1
A gentleman yields back. I now recognize a gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Magaziner, for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 14
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, one of the really special things about being a member of Congress is that every once in a while, you get to meet people who are truly courageous. And the four of you are incredibly courageous. You have risked your safety. You have risked your privacy.
You have risked being harassed in order to tell your stories so that other Americans don't have to go through what you went through. And I wanna thank each and every one of you for having the courage to come here and share your stories so that everyone can know what is going on. Your courage stands in contrast to the absolute cowardice of those who refuse to even listen to your stories. The cowardice of Steven Miller and Tom Holman, who were invited to come here and refused. Steven Miller is a coward.
Tom Holman is a coward. Not only have they not come to this hearing, they haven't testified in front of any committee in Congress during this administration. And all but one of our Republican colleagues on this committee did not have the courage to come here today and listen to your stories. So the American people see what's going on. There are a lot of politicians and White House officials who like to talk tough from behind a podium, but they don't have the courage to listen to the people whose lives have been impacted by the cruelty of this administration.
The Department of Homeland Security was established to keep Americans safe. And instead, under the Trump administration, the department has been used to invade American neighborhoods with masked police, to break into people's homes without warrants, to beat and even kill Americans in the streets. It's wrong. I wanna ask all four of our witnesses, please raise your hand if you are a United States citizen. All four of you.
Please raise your hand if you have ever assaulted a law enforcement officer. None of you. Please raise your hand if you've ever committed an act of violence against anyone. None of you. Please raise your hand if you have been arrested or shot by a DHS officer.
Every one of you. Shameful. Do any of you know if any of the officers who assaulted you, who shot you, have been disciplined in any way? Do any of you know any examples of that? To my knowledge, no.
No. None. That's the problem, the lack of accountability that we've been calling out. I sent a letter two months ago to the head of ICE and the head of Border Patrol to ask them how many of their employees have been disciplined for excessive use of force over the last year and a half. I still haven't received an answer.
That lack of accountability is why the American people have lost trust in the Trump administration. So, we need to fund the government. But what we do not need to do is continue to give a blank check to the Trump administration to terrorize people in American neighborhoods. We do not have to do that. Mister Redis, I want to use my last minute here to ask a little more about you.
Can you tell us about your service in the army, what you did for the country?
Speaker 10
I joined in 2018. I was 18 at the time, deployed in Iraq. I was stationed in Iraq for 10 months. After that, went back to Fairbanks, Alaska, where that's where I was stationed. And from there, I changed duty stations to Fort Hood, and that's where I finished up my contract, and I got out honorably, completed my contract, did my service.
Speaker 14
Thank you for that service. On the day you were arrested, were you protesting? Were you harassing the officers anyway? You were on your way to work.
Speaker 14
And you were locked up for how long? Three days, three nights. Were you given an opportunity to call a lawyer?
Speaker 14
I was a citizen. You couldn't call a lawyer? No. Three days. You missed your daughter's birthday party.
Last question. How did your partner, your wife, I assume, how did she explain that to your daughter? No explanation. That's awful. I'm sorry to all of you.
You deserve better. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. Now have to check in. I recognize the general lady from Illinois, Miss Ramirez, for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 15
Thank you, Chair and Ranking Member, for holding this hearing. I want to especially thank our witnesses for being here today. I wanna echo what Congressman Magaziner just said. You continue to show up for your communities, even when the federal government continues to harm and fail you. And I'll never take for granted what it means to share your stories over and over again.
So I wish that you didn't have to keep sharing your story. I wanna thank you for being here today, because it's important for this body, this committee that has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security, to hear directly from all of you. And while I am extremely disappointed by the fact that only one Republican is here, and so many of my colleagues to the right could not be here to face you and to hear directly from you about their inaction and the impact it's had. I am grateful that you are still here, and that my colleagues will make sure that your stories actually move us into action. It's clear to me that more than ever DHS remains the biggest threat to our collective safety.
And in spite of that, this week, Senate Republicans are streamlining another reconciliation bill to fund ICE and CBP for another three years for $70,000,000,000. So instead of doing policy reforms, instead of accountability and justice for you, my colleagues now wanna give them $70,000,000,000 for more terror. And adding insult to injury, Steven Miller and Tom Holman, the architects of the abuse that we are seeing, can't even be bothered to come and face the people in this room who have survived their atrocities, or to come and justify to us why we should give them one more dollar. So I want to make sure that the administration hears me. Firing GNOME, something the people want through their action, is not going to change or resolve conduct oversight and ensure that there is justice and accountability.
Mark Wayne's attempt to roll back some of Numb's policies, they don't change anything. He is still in partnership with Miller and Holman. Taking a targeted, quieter approach to terrorize us, won't tear us. We know people are still being taken. Children are being taken at check-in.
We have seen with our own eyes what DHS is capable of, and we do not consent. Trump, Miller, and Homin are willing to weaponize the government against its own people to ensure that anyone who gets in their way, US citizens, end up shot, detained, deported, or in the case of so many others, dead. We're on to them, and we're gonna hold them accountable, and I'm gonna make sure of that as so many of my colleagues here will as well. So, Miss Martinez, thank you for being here, and thank you for what you shared today. As someone who has experienced this violence firsthand on your way to work, what would you say to Tom Holman and Steven Miller had they had the courage to actually show up today?
Speaker 3
I will say, one is enough. How many more children gotta be traumatized? How many more families got to be separated? Like us Americans, we just want honesty, transparency, and accountability. That's it.
That's all we do. That's all we want.
Speaker 15
And, Marimar, what message do you want the congress, this body, to hear? As some of my colleagues in this room are asking, okay, one of them is asking for billions more to keep funding these violations of our rights. What would you want them to know?
Speaker 3
This is not a performance. This is our life, and we're going through it. We're traumatized, and we want accountability. We want change and transparency. That's it.
Speaker 15
Thank you, Marimar. Based on what we have heard today, I want to ask my colleagues. And for my colleagues on the other side that might be in their office watching because they didn't have the courage to be able to show up, to confront the people they have harmed, the US citizens they have harmed, how do you justify spending another $70,000,000,000 on this dangerous, inhumane, unlawful terror campaign? DHS cannot be reformed. There is no justice in any accountability when you're allowing more taxpayer dollars to be spent to keep harming US citizens, children, and families.
It must be dismantled piece by piece, and something new, a system that honors our rights, respects the constitution, our dignity, and our humanity must be built. So I wanna end by saying this. Today, for this body, for our members of Congress, it's an invitation to actually hear what we've heard from the witnesses and do something about it. I have a bill by the name of melt ice, and we can melt ice, and we can dismantle DHS. We just have to have the courage and the willingness to stand up for our constituents instead of covering up for Miller, Holman, and Donald Trump.
With that, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Generally, it yields back. A reminder, it is a violation of house rules and the rules of this committee to engage in personalities regarding other members or to question the motives of a colleague. I now recognize the gentleman from New York, Mister Kennedy, for five minutes questions.
Speaker 13
Thank you. Thank you all for being here today and for your testimony. Your courage and willingness to share your stories is going to help us all hold this administration and the Department of Homeland Security accountable for the constitutional abuses we're seeing in our communities all across the country. Yours are just a few of these stories. This committee is incredibly grateful for your testimony today, as are the American people.
Your testimony will help the American people truly understand the suffering that the Trump administration has inflicted on our own people. Thankfully, you are with us today here to tell us your stories. But we have to remember and honor the memory of those we've lost. Alex Pretty and Renee Good in Minnesota, and Nurul Amin Shah Alam in my hometown of Buffalo, just to name a few. ICE can no longer continue to operate behind a smokescreen, masks, and a complete disregard for human rights.
The Trump administration's dangerous and erratic so-called mass deportation agenda has blown through the limits of presidential authority, repeatedly violated the constitution, and unleashed a secret police into our communities targeting lawfully present immigrants, US citizens like yourselves, workers, children, and United States combat veterans. We invited Steven Miller and Tom Holman here today. They're the architects of this un-American, unpatriotic, backwards thinking policy, and they don't even have the guts to show up and answer questions. It's embarrassing, and it's a bush leak. Mister Redis, I wanna give you an opportunity to set the record straight about the false narratives that DHS has tried to push about you.
You're an Iraq combat veteran, and you're a US citizen. Correct?
Speaker 13
After being honorably discharged, you were working a civilian job and simply committed to work on the day DHS arrested you. Correct?
Speaker 13
As we've seen for the last 16 months through DHS media campaign, they've peddled lies about individuals who've committed no wrongdoing. DHS has tried to justify your arrest and three-day detention by claiming that you were violent and refused to comply with law enforcement. It's been almost a year since your arrest. Isn't it true that DHS has not filed any charges against you to show evidence of their claims?
Speaker 10
I think they lied about my arrest to fool whoever it is that believes in them, to believe that what ICE is doing, they're 100% correct and that they're doing nothing wrong. Their motive was to try to deter me from speaking the truth and sharing with the world everything that happened to me. They're trying to put fear in me, and, fortunately, for them, that just doesn't work with me.
Speaker 13
The way that DHS law enforcement has treated you, from the use of force during your arrest to the denial of basic hygiene requests while in detention, is horrific as much as it's un-American. And not to mention that your family could not find you. You were disappeared in a system for days on end. Mister Redis, why do you feel that it was important for you to come and tell your story to this committee? And what accountability do you think is needed at the DHS?
Speaker 10
I think it's important to tell my story because stories like mine, stories like ours up here, can't just go unheard. Stories that are continuing to happen all over the country. These are just little stories that we just get a share. There are thousands and millions of people that are currently going through this as we are. We just have the opportunity to stand here in front of you and tell our stories.
That's the only difference. And it's important that we stand up and take this opportunity that they don't have. What I want for accountability is laws changed with the way ICE and federal agents conduct themselves, that allow, I hope, that you guys pass laws that are able to hold federal officers accountable. I mean, you guys probably are aware that federal officials are basically impossible to sue currently, with all the bills getting stripped. So federal agents basically have immunity, and that's why they continue to do all this stuff to us, because we can't hold them accountable.
And so that's my goal for accountability, is that you guys pass a law.
Speaker 13
When the American people hear a story like yours and hear that this happened to a veteran who served our country valiantly, they understand that what happened to you could happen to anyone. It's unacceptable, and we as Americans deserve better.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Michigan, Miss Panadhar, for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 12
Thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, thank you all for being here. Thank you all for your courage. Forty-seven years ago, I came to this country escaping poverty with 20 in my pocket and a big dream. And today, what I see is immigrants being demonized by this administration.
For over a year, Trump and his cronies have terrorized our streets, unleashing ICE and CBP agents, detaining innocent people, and killing numerous others, including Renee Good and Alex Bretti. Our witnesses here today are no strangers to this violence, and I want to again thank all of you for your bravery in speaking before this committee. At my town halls and in conversations with my constituents in Detroit and all over the 13th Congressional District, I see a constant fear they share in Trump's invading our communities using ICE and other federal agents. They have every right to be fearful. Over the past year, we have witnessed cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and others become hotbeds for violent immigration enforcement raids and the violation of civil liberties.
Enough is enough. I'm tired of Trump's constant violations of our laws and presidents, demonizing immigrants, shredding the Constitution, and inflaming hateful and dangerous rhetoric against his fellow Americans for not wanting to abide by his unjust rule. The abuses of our rule of law by this administration are historic and unprecedented. And I'm worried that if we don't stop Trump now, more Americans could die. I reiterate my call for Trump to be immediately impeached.
I was the first member of Congress to bring impeachment charges against this president. And I was one of the members of congress calling for the twenty-fifth amendment to be invoked against him and for the American people to stand together against this tyrant. Today is a chance to put a face to how Trump's harmful immigrant Polish policies have impacted American citizens. If there is one thing you would want anyone listening to take away from today's hearing, what would you want them to know about how Trump's immigration enforcement policies have impacted each of you personally? Anyone?
Speaker 6
The actions of this administration and the DHS, congressmen, are profoundly un-Christian, un-American, anti-family values, and I am appalled by the hypocrisy of the Republican members of this congress and this committee who talk about public safety when, in fact, it's people like Ryan and many people in American communities who are taking responsibility for our own safety while we're being attacked by this administration and its goons. True.
Speaker 8
Your best and the best of DHS is the least that the American public deserves, and you have not given us your best.
Speaker 12
Question is, what is one thing that you take away from this hearing, from your experiences?
Speaker 10
One thing I take away from this hearing is that change doesn't move fast enough.
Speaker 12
Yeah. Look. We are a country of immigrants. You know, we pride ourselves in welcoming the best of the best and their contribution to making our country the greatest on earth. And it is really shameful the way this administration has treated the hardworking immigrants who are an integral part of this nation.
I thank you for you being here. Thank you for your testimony. And, mister chair, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. Now I recognize the gentleman from Puerto Rico, Mr. Hernandez, for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 17
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We have reached a tragic point in the history of our country. It is a point where we need to protect the American people from the American government. Write a contradiction. En el language that many immigrants in this country will understand, una vergüenza para los Estados Unidos de América.
A shame for the United States of America. What you've witnessed, what you've experienced is an experience that many people are suffering through in this country. I represent Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, back in November, ICE agents shoved a pregnant woman. As a father, as a husband, I find that very disturbing.
That rattles me. That worries me. Around the same time, CBP agents picked up a documented immigrant off the streets of Cabo Rojo, put her on a plane, and sent her to a detention facility in Texas, where she was unable to reach her lawyer for an unreasonable amount of time. As far as we know, none of these agents has been held accountable. And when nobody's held accountable, these problems don't get fixed.
They get worse. This culture of impunity is what led to the tragic deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretty. It's what led to the tragic outcomes that you all faced in the hands of your own government. Thank you for being here today and sharing your experiences. It's very brave.
What happened to you and what's happening to many other Americans and people in the United States of America is wrong. It is illegal. It deserves to be on the record in an official proceeding of the United States Congress. Now, Miss Martinez, just to get the record very straight, you were shot five times by a CVP agent. Correct?
Speaker 3
It only lasted, like, a month, and then my charges were dismissed with prejudice.
Speaker 17
So you were shot five times, indicted, dragged through a legal proceeding, while the person who shot you has yet to face any sort of accountability.
Speaker 3
It angers me. Like I said before, like, can I even trust my own government? If there's not gonna be accountability, where's the trust?
Speaker 17
I can only imagine. I guess my question, in the interest of time for you and for the remainder of the panel, is what would you like Congress to understand and learn from your experience?
Speaker 3
We're not against ICE agents. We're against the injustice. We're against brutality. We want change. We want agents to be held accountable.
It's not fair that I was indicted. I went to prison. I've been through hell and back, and I fought through my fear. I fought for my freedom. I fought for my voice. And these agents, Charles Exham has not even been held accountable for his actions.
But when it comes to me, I had a fight. We're his. We're he, what about him? I have not heard anything. They have, we don't know if he's still working in the job.
Honestly, I don't know. And that's what I want. I just want accountability and change.
Speaker 17
No. I completely agree with you. I think rules and holding people accountable to rules is essential, and it's something that is severely lacking. It's one of the great tragedies that agencies that were created to protect the homeland are not protecting the homeland. We are actually needing, requiring, it's actually requiring us to protect people from those agencies.
Their purpose has been completely distorted. I congratulate you all for your courage. And as I said, this is a big shame for the United States of America. Esto es una vergüenza para los Estados Unidos de América. Thank you.
I yield back.
Speaker 1
General Manniel's back. I now recognize the gentlelady from New Jersey, Miss Poe, for five minutes questions.
Speaker 18
Thank you, mister chairman, and to our ranking member Thompson. Before I begin, let me just once again recognize the bravery of our witnesses and thank you. Thank you for sharing your stories. You know, we are currently experiencing the longest funding lapse in the history of our government. Despite the Senate passing the Department of Homeland Security funding bill nearly one month ago by unanimous consent.
The speaker Johnson has refused to bring this bill to the House floor. He is stalling because the bill does not include funding for ICE or CBP. Let me be clear. These agencies are out of control. We need serious reforms.
And as all of our witnesses can attest, we cannot give them another dime until changes are made. In my state of New Jersey, recent ICE action highlighted the danger of violence and undisciplined agents. In Bridge Bridgeston, which is not part of my district but illustrates the out of control action throughout New Jersey, an ICE agent recently smashed the car window of Deborah Gomez despite her lawyer repeatedly asking for a warrant. Please play the video.
Speaker 19
Hey. Hey. Hey. No. No.
Stop it. Stop. Stop. I wanna see the warrant. Let me see.
Let me see.
Speaker 18
This is why ICE must be reform. Congress cannot give another penny to the reckless agency which we have accountability. So let me thank our witnesses once again for testifying today. As I've mentioned, your bravery is your bravery in the face of ice violence is courageous and inspirational. It is citizens like yourself that kept so many of your neighbors safe during ice wreaths in California, in Illinois, and in Minnesota.
Miss Martinez, in your testimony, you just described noticing an Uber light in front of the windshield and no front license plate, which Illinois state law requires. What is your initial reaction to seeing a vehicle that looked like an Uber without a license plate?
Speaker 3
To me, it was alarming. It brought, like, real concerns. Like, you will go that low to, like, practically be an Uber driver. And then, it's funny because if you go to the Uber website, on the Uber, you could see that it's illegal for them. If you're not an Uber driver, it's illegal for you to even have a decal.
Speaker 18
Right. Right. Absolutely. So I'd ask, yes or no, do you think that the agent in the vehicle was intentionally trying to hide their identity and the organization that they belong to?
Speaker 18
And so this is exactly why, this past February, I introduced legislation. It's called the plate act that prohibits ICE or CBP from obscuring or removing their license plates. Your testimony highlights the need for my legislation. In nearly 50 days, the opening of the World Cup will begin. When I asked the ICE head, Todd Lions, who, by the way, has submitted his resignation even though he's still with us for the next couple of weeks, if he would pause ICE enforcement to and around the matches.
He refused to do so. This is a question for all of you who are here. Yes or no. Would you feel comfortable attending a World Cup match or fan fest knowing that ICE agents would be present and conducting enforcement actions? Miss Martinez, we'll begin with you.
Yes or no?
Speaker 6
Past Congressman, Congresswoman, I don't believe anyone in America is safe as long as ICE continues to exist.
Speaker 18
Thank you. Thank you for your answer. And that is exactly why I will continue to demand public assurances that ICE will not conduct raids at the World Cup matches and other events. The public deserves the peace of mind. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I yield back.
Speaker 1
General yields back. I now recognize our newest member of the committee, General Lady from New Jersey, Miss Mayha, for five minutes.
Speaker 4
Thank you, ranking member Benny Thompson, for the warm welcome earlier, and thank you, Chairman Gaborino. It's pronounced Ana Lilia Mejía, but that's okay. It's a lot of vowels. But thank you both for convening this hearing, and thank you to the witnesses for being here. It's been 68 days since the Department of Homeland Security shut down.
And unlike our senate counterparts, my house colleagues, my Republican colleagues in the house have chosen dysfunction over bipartisan compromise, opting for a two week vacation instead of serving the people. And respectfully, chairman, this is not a distraction. This is, in fact, an attempt to expose injustice and the failure of my republican counterparts, a failure that has real consequences, as we've heard today. Airports across this country have descended into chaos. TSAH officers have gone unpaid.
The Coast Guard is serving without pay, and as usual, the American people are paying the price. More than 4,000 FEMA employees are still working without pay, many for the third shutdown in less than a year, and soon disaster relief funds will run dry. Why is this happening? Again, because my new Republican colleagues have prioritized sending more money to ICE and customs and border protection than any meaningful reform. These are the same agencies that, as we've heard, have turned their weapons against our own communities, terrorizing families and citizens and undermining the trust that the American people deserve.
What's more, these efforts amount to a campaign against our very own constitution, whittling away due process and equal protection afforded to all under the 14th amendment. Again, I wanna remind my new colleagues that the Senate offered a bipartisan path forward, funding TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard, and while keeping the country running, while we negotiate real reforms. But, again, my new colleagues, my new Republican House colleagues have failed the American people. We cannot continue to ignore the human costs as we've heard from those who have come to testify today, including Miss Marimar Martinez, who is here today. A US citizen shot five times, and disgustingly, the agent in question who shot her bragged, I fired five rounds, and she has seven holes.
Miss Martinez rightfully speaks of injustice. Pastor Black rightfully speaks about the failure to meet the expectations of the American people. In fact, all of our witnesses are speaking truth to power in this moment. I want to ask all of the witnesses today, what meaningful actions can we, as members of Congress and as your fellow Americans, in fact, do to bring justice not only to you, but ensure the full freedoms for the American people.
Speaker 6
Thank you, Congresswoman. With respect to the members who believe in reform, I believe that this department and administration really need an exorcist. That's my opinion as a pastor.
Speaker 10
Add five words to the bill in nineteen eighty three and hold federal officials accountable to state and local officials.
Speaker 8
I would simply ask for accountability for individuals who have an immense amount of power to have a commensurate level of accountability.
Speaker 4
Is there anything that you would want that you haven't had an opportunity to say to the American people that you would like us to hear, starting with perhaps Mister Eklund.
Speaker 8
For those individuals who think that what is happening in these communities that we've talked about today, for those who think that it is theater or exaggerated, that is very much not the case. It's happening to people. Ours are just some of the stories. And it's not just happening to the individuals who are actually experiencing these run-ins with ICE. It's happening to our friends, our loved ones, our wives, and our children.
Speaker 4
Mister Redes, pastor Black, or miss Martinez, if there's another thing you would like to share.
Speaker 6
Thank you for the correct question, Congresswoman. I would like people to understand in this congress and in The United States that what we are facing, the evil we are facing from this administration, goes beyond political solutions and goes beyond reform. It requires spiritual solutions, and it requires especially those who claim to be of faith and of the Christian faith that I share to show up in the truth, and the conviction and integrity of the values of what Jesus taught us. Because what we do to those who come into our communities, how we treat strangers, is how we treat Jesus himself.
Speaker 1
General lady yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Louisiana, Mister Carter, for five minutes questions.
Speaker 20
Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. I regret that members of the Trump administration, namely deputy chief of staff and for policy to the president of the United States, Steven Miller, and the administration's so-called border czar, Tom Holman, ignored, and I underscore ignored, the request to appear today and ignored an opportunity to address the American people. Question begs to be answered. What do you have to hide? Why aren't you willing to listen?
Why aren't you willing to defend the actions of your agents? And I'd like to also reflect for a moment on how these committees are usually run. We usually have a Democrat and then a Republican, and it alternates back and forth. But I want you to notice, we're going democrat in succession one after another. Why?
Because my democratic colleagues didn't even have the decency to show up to listen to you. Republican. My Republican colleagues didn't even have the decency to show up. Democrats are here. Democrats have shown up.
Republicans' seats are empty. That means they didn't even care to listen. Four United States citizens who've had their rights trampled, who were nearly killed. Mister Reitz, who is a celebrated serviceman, who put his life on the line to go to war, to fight for us, it's disheartening to think that my colleagues wouldn't even want to show up. It's disheartening to think that these Republican seats are all empty.
Kudos to chairman Gaborino for being here, for at least listening, for giving the time and attention to the stories that have been told. Rather they accept the invitation or not, the hearing remains a crucial opportunity for this committee and the American public to understand the real impact of this administration's dangerous enforcement policies on both citizens and migrants. What we learned here today will help us investigate and hold the administration accountable for its actions. In my district alone in Louisiana, we've heard heartbreaking stories of children, United States citizens, who were deported. We've heard about a child with cancer who was caught up in an enforcement action.
We've seen children stay home from school, afraid to leave their homes. We've seen businesses shuttered because their owners and workers fear for their lives. And most tragically, we've seen deaths, including Honduran oystermen who drowned while fleeing the federal immigration agents. But instead of taking action to address these abuses, House Republicans are keeping the entire DHS shut down as the Senate passed bipartisan compromises to open, yet it sat on Speaker Johnson's desk. Mister Reitz, I first want to thank you for your service to this country.
Unfortunately, hundreds of US citizens like you have been arrested and detained by federal law enforcement officers. We know it's at least 170, thanks to public reporting. But, sadly, we don't know the actual number because the administration refuses to be transparent and won't even admit it's arresting and detaining citizens. The very secretary of homeland security sat here and said they had not, although a week later had to admit that one of the witnesses that sat in this very chamber was in fact arrested and then later had charges dropped. Mister Reed, can you explain how you tried to prove that you were in fact a US citizen when you were detained?
Speaker 10
I offered to give them ID that was still in my vehicle. I have my military ID that allows me to get onto military bases. I told them I could prove I could give them all the proof they want. My license, my ID, my vehicle.
Speaker 20
Appear to even care about these things, as you mentioned you had evidence?
Speaker 10
No. In fact, they never even asked me for verification of my identity at all.
Speaker 20
So the fact that you were offering it, they never asked. Number two, when you voluntarily said, I have it. I'd like to present it. They ignored, which means they really didn't care, because they had already determined by the way you look or the way you sound that you must be someone who'd done something. That is in direct conflict with our constitution.
It's in direct conflict with the very things that they say they're doing when, in fact, we have witnesses here telling otherwise, but my Republican colleagues didn't want to hear it. Trump officials didn't want to hear it. Their heads are so deep in the sand of violating the rights of citizens that they just don't care. There's something terribly wrong with that. Mister Martinez, are you concerned that as a US citizen, you will continue to be wrapped up in the dangerous immigration enforcement action simply because?
Speaker 20
Can I, mister chair, could you just indulge me a second? Let her answer that question, please, as I yield. Miss Martinez, are you concerned that you will continue to be wrapped up in the dangerous immigration enforcement actions?
Speaker 1
Gentlemen Yields, now recognize the gentleman from Virginia, Mister Waukinshaw, five minutes of.
Speaker 16
Thank you, mister chairman, and thank you to ranking member Thompson for ensuring that our courageous witnesses could appear today and share their experiences at the hands of President Trump's Department of Homeland Security. Ranking member Thompson also asked that invitations be extended to Steven Miller and Tom Holman to testify today, but obviously, they are too weak and too afraid to face this committee. I wanna focus on Tom Holman, President Trump's so-called border czar. He was the architect of the family separation policy that resulted in 5,500 children being forcibly taken from their parents at the border. Last year, reports surfaced that Holman accepted a $50,000 bag of cash, a paper bag filled with $50,000 from an undercover FBI agent in exchange for future government contracts.
And, mister chairman, in the letter you wrote, mister Holman, you suggested he not appear today because democrats weren't operating in good faith. I think you would agree it would be a good faith question to ask him whether he accepted $50,000 in a paper bag. I'd be acting in good faith if I asked the borders are at that question. These allegations were serious enough that in 2025, just days before President Trump was inaugurated, a DOJ lawyer told Trump's team that Homan could not get a security clearance due to the ongoing corruption probe into that bribe that he allegedly accepted. The American people still do not have an accounting of how or whether he passed a background check and got his security clearance.
The same official who engineered the family separation policy is now leading the mass deportation machine. Under his leadership, mass secret police have shot and killed American citizens, dragged pregnant mothers, kneeled on the necks of teenagers, unlawfully detained more than 170 American citizens, including some of our witnesses today, 20 children. He's directed that masked officers smash down the doors of Americans without a judicial warrant while their families are asleep. Our witnesses today have suffered the consequences of his failed leadership, and your testimony is evidence of what happens when people like Holman are allowed to operate with impunity and without real oversight. If he's so confident about his decisions, about his leadership, he should be willing to appear before the committee today.
We have a video of Mr. Homan. We can play that.
Speaker 21
When we go in the community and find that bad guy, many times are with others. Others are in the country illegally but may not have a criminal history, but guess what? They're coming too. The instructions to ICE is some forced immigration law. You find an illegal alien, you're going to arrest him.
If he's not a criminal, I don't care. You're gonna arrest him. Right now, they're demanding mask off. That's a non-starter. We're not even talking about it, because until you stop your language, we're not taking a mask off.
Speaker 16
I don't care if he's not a criminal. Arrest him. We've been told that the Trump administration's policy is focused on the worst. What the borders are, says arrest him even if they haven't committed a crime. We know arresting American citizens too, not just those who are undocumented.
From family separation policies in the first Trump administration to abusive tactics today, his record is defined by inhumane policies. I wanna ask our witnesses, starting with Miss Martinez. If Mister Holman was here today, if he had the courage to show up, what would you like to ask him?
Speaker 3
Like I said, one is enough. Enough. Why bring fear to our kids? How many more of our kids gotta be living in fear? How many more families are gonna be separated?
We just want transparency and honesty. That's it.
Speaker 6
Congressman, I believe that every person in the United States has an equal entitlement to safety in this country regardless of their citizenship status. And I find it hypocritical that mister Homan, who is a descendant of immigrants who came here seeking safety and prosperity, would say that only citizens are entitled to the good things of this land.
Speaker 16
Okay. That doesn't usually, that's not usually the rule in this committee. But, mister Eklund?
Speaker 8
I would simply ask him for his resignation, and then ask him to apologize to every person from the Twin Cities on his way out the door.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mister Green, for five minutes of questions.
Speaker 22
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, again, I compliment you for hearing, especially this one. And I thank the ranking member as well. Miss Martinez, you suffer great harm, both physically and mentally. Are you of a frame of mind to walk through this with me today, or would this be too much for you?
I
Speaker 22
Is it true that you were on your way to church at the time you were detained?
Speaker 22
And when you were stopped or confronted by this officer, did he give you warnings indicating that he'd like to talk to you? Did he try to de-escalate?
Speaker 3
No. He did not. He started swerving at my vehicle. He was getting in my lane.
Speaker 22
Here's what I'd like you to do. Can you just point to one of the places where you were shot, please?
Speaker 3
A trouble, and then I got hit on the side. And then I have an entry and the exit on my right thigh. And then this one travels to the back of my leg.
Speaker 22
Please. Now, if you'll go back to the microphone, I'd like for your testimony to be recorded. This officer made a statement, and I'll quote his exact words as I understand it. I fired five shots, five rounds to be more specific, and she had 7 holes. I saw the bullet go into your arm, and it made an exit.
So he's counting the number of times the bullet traversed your body in and out. When you were first hit, the first bullet, were you aware that you were shot?
Speaker 3
No. I thought it was the pepper pellets. Because I seen, like, before everything that was happening, that they were shooting people with the pepper pellets. So I thought it was a pepper pellet. But.
Speaker 22
And then the second shot, were you able to make a distinction between the two?
Speaker 3
Of this? Yeah. Because imagine if I had stayed, I wouldn't be here to testify. I wouldn't.
Speaker 22
While you were driving, did you examine your body? Did you look to see? What did you see as you were driving?
Speaker 3
I just saw blood gushing. That's how when I realized, like, I've been shocked. Right here, this one was gushing, and my whole side was covered in blood. And I started feeling lightheaded, and that's when I realized, like, I've been shot, and I need to stop to call emergency.
Speaker 22
And when you stopped, did you make the call to get help, or did someone?
Speaker 22
Do you think often of this horrible circumstance you had to endure? Do you think about this?
Speaker 22
I see tears welling in your eyes as you're talking to me now. It is still very painful, I take it.
Speaker 3
It is. It's hard, like, to manage all this and, like, to even process what happened. You know, I got being shy just for, practically, for protecting your community.
Speaker 22
Now you've talked about accountability and transparency. Do you really want to see someone arrested? Do you want him arrested for what he did to you? Do you want a trial so that you can testify?
Speaker 3
Yes. Because I want the world to, like, I want the world to see my pain, my trauma. Mhmm. Because it's not something to joke about. Right?
This is my life. We're talking about my life.
Speaker 22
Well, that's where I was going to go next, as I close. And I'm out of time. There are many more things I'd like to ask. But this officer indicated that he told his comrades to put that in your book, boys, the fact that he put seven holes in you with five rounds.
Speaker 22
Yes. Well, my prayer is that you will have your day in court. You deserve your day in court. This is not your day in court.
Speaker 15
I have a parliamentary inquiry. Where are Steven Miller and Tom Holman?
Speaker 15
Missus Ramirez of Illinois moves pursuant to clause 2k-6 of rule 11 to subpoena Steven Miller and Thomas Homan.
Speaker 1
Pursuant to clause 2 k 6 of rule 11. Okay. All 2k6 motions will be held in advance until the end of the hearing. The testimonial part of the hearing has concluded. While the committee votes on previously made motions, the witnesses are excused.
Thank you very much for your participation today. The audience will remain seated while the witnesses exit. Committee stands in recess.
Speaker 1
Committee on Homeland Security will come to order. Before we call up the pending motion, I understand the general lady has revised it.
Speaker 15
Yes, Mr. Chairman. I withdraw my motion made prior to recess, and I have a new motion to subpoena Steven Miller and Thomas Holman at the desk for the clerk to report. Okay.
Speaker 1
Now call up the gentleman's motion to subpoena Mister Miller, Mister Holman.
Speaker 7
Motion and subpoena offered by Miss Ramirez of Illinois. Miss Ramirez of Illinois moves pursuant to clause.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, move to table a motion. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No.
You've been in need of the chair. The ayes have it, and the motion is tabled.
Speaker 14
Mister chairman, parliamentary inquiry? Yep. I wonder if it's allowable since so many of our colleagues weren't here to listen to the witnesses' testimony when they gave it. If the witnesses could be given another five minutes now that our colleagues can be here to hear them.
Speaker 1
No. The witnesses were the public portion of this was ended earlier. Thank you. The members of this committee may have some additional questions. We already went to, we're going to, we couldn't pursuant to committee rule 70.
The hearing record will be held open for ten days. Without objection, this committee stands adjourned.
Ask anything about this video — I analyse its transcript to answer.