Political Quotes

On the recordJanuary 28, 2025
we can all agree that the border of the United States should be secure. And, of course, we must deport any dangerous individuals who are here unlawfully. But the Executive orders that President Trump signed this past week don't target criminals. In fact, President Trump terminated a Biden administration policy that required immigration officials to prioritize for arrest and deportation individuals who threaten public safety or national security. Instead, President Trump has authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers known as ICE officers, to make arrests in schools, churches, and courthouses across the country. The President has reportedly even directed ICE to set quotas for arrest, ramping up from a few hundred a day to more than 1,500 per day. These kinds of arbitrary quotas will ensure that essential workers, family members of U.S. citizens, and so many others who are no threat to this country and are not criminals are caught up in these mass deportations. For example, just this weekend, Trump officials stated that the raids they conducted were targeted toward criminals. Yet in Chicago, a husband and father with no criminal history was reportedly arrested by ICE on his way to work. His family was only made aware that something was wrong when he didn't show up at his shift. In New Jersey, ICE agents detained and questioned a military veteran and U.S. citizens simply because they weren't carrying on their person a passport or a license.…
Said by
Dick Durbin
Democratic · Illinois

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