Correspondence - Item 27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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At the same time, the White House ordered the National Guard into Santa Ana. Traditionally, the National Guard is activated upon a state governor, local police chief, or local sheriff's call for aid to quell civil unrest or to respond to natural disaster. Like many in our community, I was shocked—given that neither Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes nor Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez called for the National Guard or other federal agents to come to Santa Ana. Up until today, both Chief Rodriguez and Sheriff Barnes insist that the presence of the National Guard was not necessary. The activation of the National Guard escalated and inflamed the situation at these protests. Our local law enforcements are adequately trained to de-escalate, protect the public, and restore order. I have expressed these concerns to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons and called attention to incidents that have taken place at immigration courts across the country including incidents where masked, plainclothes ICE officers detained non-violent, non-criminal immigrants immediately following the dismissal of their existing deportation cases by Department of Homeland Security attorneys. Most recently, I joined my colleagues in Congress in introducing the No Secret Police Act to require DHS officers to wear or display official insignia or uniforms in a manner clearly visible to others, as well as to prohibit DHS officers from wearing face coverings or any item that conceals their face during detentions or arrests. To address the increase of ICE impersonations in our community, I am also working to introduce legislation to prohibit the unauthorized use and sale of Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparel and insignia. Last month, I addressed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing about the Administration's consistent violation of the law by denying due process in ICE enforcement matters. I cited specific cases of American born children who were deported alongside their parents and denied access to counsel. I have and will continue fight back against anti-immigrant rhetoric and oppose DHS overreach. I offered amendments in both the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the House Homeland Security Committee, to the One Big Beautiful Bill (currently known as the reconciliation bill) to prohibit ICE raids at elementary schools. I offered the same amendments to the Republican reconciliation bill on the House Floor, as well as amendments pertaining to deported veterans, unlawful third country removal, ICE raids at churches, and spousal deportations. I also joined my colleagues during an almost twenty hour long House Rules Committee hearing to testify and push for the inclusion of my amendments to the reconciliation bill.