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Congreo of the Uniteb 6tateq <br /> Va5bington, W 20515 <br /> June 5, 2025 <br /> The Honorable Kristi Noem <br /> Secretary <br /> Department of Homeland Security <br /> Washington, D.C. 20528 <br /> Mr. Todd M. Lyons <br /> Acting Director <br /> U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement <br /> Washington, D.C. 20024 <br /> Dear Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons: <br /> We write to express grave concern over the disturbing pattern of Immigration and Customs <br /> Enforcement(ICE) operations taking place at immigration courts across the country including <br /> recent incidents in New York City where masked, plainclothes ICE officers detained non-violent, <br /> non-criminal immigrants immediately following the dismissal of their existing deportation cases <br /> by DHS attorneys.' <br /> Over the past week, we have witnessed federal agents lying in wait outside courtrooms, detaining <br /> individuals as they leave their hearings upon the expectation that their immigration proceedings <br /> often including asylum applications have been dismissed upon the government's request.' <br /> These mass arrests are part of what Trump administration officials have confirmed is a <br /> nationwide effort to terminate ongoing removal cases and reroute people into fast-tracked <br /> "expedited" removal proceedings, usually without counsel, due process, or any specific case-by- <br /> case analysis.' <br /> By terminating ongoing removal proceedings, any pending asylum claim is rendered void, <br /> thereby creating a potentially short window to quickly deport immigrants who have previously <br /> applied for asylum, which, as you well know, is a legal pathway to enter the United States. It <br /> also bears emphasizing that asylum is not available to individuals convicted of serious crimes or <br /> deemed a danger to the security of the United States, meaning that those asserting asylum claims <br /> in immigration court are unlikely to have criminal backgrounds and are instead seeking <br /> protection under U.S. law.' <br /> Recent reports indicate that the Trump administration is pressuring federal agencies to triple the <br /> number of daily immigration arrests as part of a sweeping push to achieve the arbitrary number <br /> 'Tracey Tully and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, "ICE Courthouse Arrests Face New Scrutiny Amid Legal Challenges," New <br /> York Times,May 30,2025, https://www.nvtimes.com/2025/05/30/us/politics/ice-courthouse-arrests.htmi <br /> 2 Id. <br /> 3 Camilio Montoya-Galvez and Nidia Cavazos, "ICE Ending Migrants'Court Cases in Order to Arrest and Move to <br /> Deport Them,"CBS News, May 23,2025 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-ending-migrants-court-cases-arrest <br /> move-to-deport-them/ <br /> 4 Priscilla Alvarez, Evan Perez,Sean Lyngaas and Holmes Lybrand, "White House Pushes for Increased Immigration <br /> Arrests by Lae Enforcement Agencies," CNN, May 29,2025, https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/29/politics/white- <br /> house-imm igration-arrests-law-enforcement-agencies <br />