[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 25, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2933-H2934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONDEMNING VIOLENCE BY ICE
(Mr. Min of California was recognized to address the House for 5
minutes.)
Mr. MIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Res. 516,
sponsored by Representative Young Kim. This resolution has a lot of
things I think we all can agree upon, including recognizing the right
to assemble and protest peacefully and condemning violence against law
enforcement.
In the very last clause, it specifically expresses gratitude to law
enforcement including ICE for ``keeping our communities safe in the
face of danger.''
I want to be clear. I commend local law enforcement, including the
Orange County Sheriff's Department, which I represent, for their
professionalism and courage. It is a tough job, and I am so grateful
for the men and women who go out there every day and risk their lives
to keep our communities safe.
To extend these thanks to ICE, while failing to acknowledge the
myriad of ways in which ICE is making other communities more dangerous,
is outrageous and dishonest.
I hear every single day--and I know Young Kim does, too, because we
represent neighboring districts in Orange County--I hear from
constituents who are deeply concerned about ICE's lawbreaking. We have
seen the videos. We have heard the eyewitness accounts.
ICE agents are kidnapping people in broad daylight. They are
assaulting people in broad daylight. They are doing so while masked up,
refusing to identify themselves, while wearing civilian clothes like
jeans and sneakers.
They come out of unmarked vans. They tackle people. They assault
people. Frankly, other than the ICE vests or jackets they are wearing,
which, by the way, can now be purchased for $29.99 on Amazon, they look
more like gang members than Federal law enforcement agents.
If a person runs away from these masked vigilantes, they will beat
and chase that person down. Mr. Speaker, if you ask to see their
identification or their warrant, they will assault you and arrest you.
If a person films them, they will pull a gun on that individual.
These tactics are grossly illegal and not tactics that local law
enforcement engage in. Our local law enforcement follows the law. They
wear body cameras. They are subject to disciplinary actions if they
violate due process rights.
ICE is completely unaccountable and totally out of control. We have
seen them assault citizens. We have seen them assault elected
officials, including Members of Congress and my colleague from
California, Senator Alex Padilla. Just 2 weeks ago, he was assaulted,
tackled, handcuffed, and shoved to the ground for asking a question at
a press conference.
The idea that ICE is making our communities safer is ludicrous. I
quote the podcaster Joe Rogan: ``. . . if the Trump administration, if
they're running and they said . . . we're gonna arrest all the people
at Home Depot. We're gonna go to construction sites and we're going to
just like tackle people at construction sites, I don't think anybody
would have signed up for that.
``They said, we're gonna get rid of the criminals and the gang
members first.''
Right? That is crazy.
It is crazy because the reality of the situation is that ICE is not
going after violent criminals. They are going after peaceful, law-
abiding immigrants. As the rightwing Cato Institute recently found, 93
percent of the people being apprehended by ICE have had no convictions
for violent crime.
ICE is not going after MS-13 or murderers or rapists. They are going
after innocent people, including a woman in Tennessee who was 5 months
pregnant and engaged to a U.S. citizen.
Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus was transferred to a detention center in
Louisiana. She was forced to sleep on the floor and eat food infested
with roaches. She was denied medical care, despite complaining
repeatedly about sharp pains in her pelvis. She lost her baby because
of this mistreatment.
She was not a criminal. She was an expectant mom whose child died. It
is clear that ICE's lawless actions are making our communities much
more dangerous.
Here is a statement issued by the mayor of Santa Ana, which has been
the epicenter of ICE raids in Orange County. She said: ``The Federal
immigration raids . . . in Santa Ana have created a climate of fear,
anxiety, and instability across our community.
``The aggressive tactics used by Federal agents have shattered trust
in law enforcement and are eroding the critical relationship between
our residents and the Santa Ana Police Department. When families are
too afraid to report crimes or engage with local authorities, we are
all less safe.''
ICE's lawless sweeps have also deeply impacted the Korean community
in SoCal. The first ICE raids targeted Korean-owned garment factories
and have caused significant confusion, fear, and terror in the Korean-
American community.
I hear every day from Korean Americans who are terrified about ICE. I
know that my colleagues, including Young Kim, do, too. They know that
ICE is making our communities less safe.
I will close with this. We have all seen the videos and images of
Narciso Barranco, a gardener and father of three U.S. Marines, who was
tackled and punched repeatedly in the head by ICE agents wearing jeans
and sneakers.
As one of his sons, Alejandro, a current marine, stated, while
deployed as a marine, if he had treated a detainee the same way ICE
agents treated his father, it would clearly be a war crime.
While Narciso Barranco is a resident of Tustin, he is a constituent
of Young Kim. I would guess that he would vehemently disagree with the
claim that ICE is making our communities safer.
How can anyone express gratitude to ICE when they are literally
committing war crimes against their constituents? This resolution is
shameful. It is morally wrong. Thanking ICE is the worst kind of
political stunt at this point in time when our constituents and our
communities are living in fear and terror.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record four items. The first is: ``ICE
Immigration Jacket Becomes Bestseller on Amazon.'' You can view the
link here: https://www.newsweek.com/ice-
immigration-jacket-best-seller-amazon-2035114.
The second is a Cato Institute blog entry: ``65 Percent of People
Taken By ICE Had No Convictions, 93 Percent No Violent Convictions.''
You can view the article at this link: https://www.cato.org/blog/65-
people-taken-ice-had-no-convictions-93-no-violent-
convictions.
The third and fourth items I would like to add are a statement from
Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua and a statement from the Korean-
American Federation of Los Angeles in response to the ICE raids on June
6.
[[Page H2934]]
June 23, 2025.
Statement from Mayor Valerie Amezcua
The federal immigration raids and the deployment of the
National Guard in Santa Ana have created a climate of fear,
anxiety, and instability across our community. These actions
are harming hardworking immigrant families, directly
jeopardizing public safety, and impacting the local economy.
The aggressive tactics used by federal agents have
shattered trust in law enforcement and are eroding the
critical relationship between our residents and the Santa Ana
Police Department. When families are too afraid to report
crimes or engage with local authorities, we are all less
safe.
Our businesses are suffering, our downtown is empty, and
our people are in fear, simply because of the color of their
skin or their ethnicity. We demand an end to these arbitrary
immigration operations. Our community deserves safety,
dignity, and respect, not fear.
____
June 6, 2025.
Official Statement From the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles
(KAFLA) Urgent Statement Regarding Recent U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) Raids
On the morning of June 6, 2025, federal agents carried out
coordinated immigration enforcement raids targeting multiple
businesses in Downtown Los Angeles, including Korean-owned
garment factories.
These sudden and large-scale operations, which led to
numerous arrests, were reportedly conducted without prior
notice, causing severe disruption and significant damage to
the affected businesses.
Disturbingly, reports indicate that individuals with
limited English proficiency or those unable to immediately
provide documentation verifying their legal status were
detained or forcibly removed on the spot. These actions have
led to widespread confusion, fear, and distress--impacting
not only the Korean American community but also many
residents across the area.
The Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA)
strongly condemns these unilateral and excessive enforcement
measures, particularly those executed without adherence to
due process. We urgently call upon our local, state, and
federal elected officials to investigate these incidents and
take immediate steps to ensure that the civil rights of all
community members are protected.
KAFLA will continue to work in close partnership with local
advocacy groups and community organizations to prevent
further harm and to stand up for those unjustly impacted.
____________________