Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, before introducing Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), reflected on how Renee Good, by coming to the aid of her community during an ICE action in exercising her constitutional rights, was “shot in the face three times for it, and labeled a terrorist” to send a message to those protesting the “Fascist takeover of our government.”Senator Murphy spoke against the hateful and divisive things happening in America and of how important our immigrant communities are in adding strength to the country along with their hard work and vast cultural and social reservoirs created by immigrants, adding to our unique American experience. “The United States Congress should not fund the Department of Homeland Security that is not obeying the laws of the United States of America,” he said. “They instead are in our cities to seek out confrontation and chaos.”He accused Donald Trump of fomenting fear and division among Americans by “trying to convince us that immigrants are the greatest threat to our democracy, to disguise the fact that he [Trump] is the greatest threat to our democracy.”Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), a victim of ICE violence, was roughed up and handcuffed for attempting to enter a room during a news conference in Los Angeles last year to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Imagine what they are doing when the cameras aren’t on in every corner of the country, if that’s how fearful this administration is with one person with a question. Imagine how fearful they are with gatherings like this.”Padilla closed by referring to two bills he has authored. The Visible Act, S.2212 he introduced “To require all immigration enforcement officers to display visible identification during public-facing immigration enforcement actions and to promote transparency and accountability.”And the Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act, S.2103, is a remedy for sovereign immunity under which “Victims of constitutional violations by federal law enforcement officers often have no legal means to seek justice because Congress has never passed a law allowing such lawsuits. Unlike state and local officers, who can be sued under a specific statute, federal officers face little accountability. This lack of remedies weakens the rule of law, erodes public trust, and fosters a sense that federal officers can violate rights without consequence.”Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who went to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison in seeking the release of his constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia who was kidnapped by ICE, characterized Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller and JD Vance as “liars headed by the Liar in Chief, the Law Breaker in Chief Donald Trump.”Going further, Van Hollen said that Trump had originally promised that ICE would only be “going after the worst of the worst” undocumented immigrants. That, instead, has become “One of the most lawless and obscene examples of this administration’s abuse against the people of this country,” he noted. “ICE’s own data shows that more than 80 percent of the people they are rounding up pose no public threat.” Once that was revealed, “ICE decided to get rid of the data. We are here to say, not in our country. We will not let this continue to happen.”
