[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 77 (Thursday, May 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008

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                               speech of

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1684) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of Homeland 
     Security for fiscal year 2008, and for other purposes:

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, as Congress passes the Homeland Security 
Department Authorization bill, I must register my deep concerns with 
the recent operations of one branch of the Homeland Security 
Department, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
  I have very serious reservations with the immigration raids on local 
communities in my District--both the manner in which they were 
conducted and their lasting effects on our community. No one, 
especially our children, should have to live in fear. Nor should they 
have to live in ignorance of their basic rights in this country.
  I have been working closely with local organizations and officials 
trying to convince ICE to mitigate its heavy-handed tactics and the 
ways they hurt our local immigrant communities. For instance, since ICE 
agents have been announcing themselves as ``police,'' local governments 
are still struggling to regain the trust that they had worked for years 
to develop in order to combat crime in their jurisdictions. The 
responses from ICE officials regarding their policies and procedures--
and their lack of concern for the ramifications their actions have on 
children and families in my community--are troubling.
  As one example of the way these actions are terrorizing our 
communities, ICE officials held 7-year-old Kebin Reyes in jail with his 
father with only bread and water for about 10 hours. Allegedly, ICE 
officials repeatedly denied his father's requests to find alternative 
care for Kebin, and the child continues to suffer lasting trauma as a 
result of his detainment. So egregious was this detention that the 
American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Kebin's behalf. ICE's 
apathetic response to incidents such as these demonstrates their lack 
of concern for respecting the people in our communities as they carry 
out their duties.
  As Congress reauthorizes Homeland Security, we must strike a careful 
balance between keeping America safe and respecting the human and civil 
rights of our local immigrant families. Protecting our borders cannot 
come at the expense of people's dignity.

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