During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents tasked with enforcing the law of cruelty and trying to spread terror.
The Connecticut Democrat called the law enforcement exercises “destructive” and vowed to spotlight alleged abuses.
“Nationwide, ICE arrests have increased significantly in June and in July,” Face the Nation’s Margaret Brennen said. “This past week, the governor of Connecticut said, despite President Trump saying to governors he would not send in ICE to cities that did not ask for help, they detained dozens of people in Danbury, Connecticut, in Bridgeport, and Stamford. ICE did not inform those cities in advance. You’re seeing footage of some of those arrests. What have you learned? Has this operation concluded? How many people were arrested? And was it timed to back to school, as your colleague Senator Chris Murphy alleges?”
Blumenthal replied, “We’ve learned nothing from ICE. But we know that probably about 100 were detained and arrested. Very few of them, only a fraction, maybe six or seven, have any kind of criminal history. So, the administration saying that it’s detaining the worst of the worst or deporting people with serious criminal history is absolutely belied by the facts. That’s not what’s happening. In fact, they are seizing people. Many of them have legal status in this country. They may have come here seeking asylum. And they are doing it in a way that is repugnant and inhumane.”
“The point is cruelty,” he continued. “They are trying to spread terror and sow fear in a way that is destructive of those communities. I’m going to be walking through Danbury tomorrow with the mayor. And I hope to have a forum. The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has been doing spotlight forums on these abuses by ICE. I hope to have one in Danbury or in Connecticut later in the week.”
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