Progressive Dem unloads on top Trump immigration official in fiery hearing clash

Progressive Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., blasted U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, calling federal immigration officials “thugs” and telling the commissioner he “better hope” for a presidential pardon during a particularly heated House hearing on Tuesday.

Thanedar, who is originally from India and immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, told Scott: “We hope you will be forgiven, because you will be held accountable for the complete disregard your agencies demonstrated last year.”

This exchange occurred during a House Homeland Security hearing on “Department of Homeland Security Oversight: ICE, CBP, and USCIS.” During the hearing, Thanedar grilled Scott and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons about the recent shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers in Minnesota.

After Lyons and Scott repeatedly supported their officers during Thanedar’s questioning, the congressman said: “I’ve heard and seen enough. I’m sick and tired of your agents roaming our cities, our streets, causing illegal activity, ICE thugs attacking our communities, using our children as bait, referring to people by size and number, targeting people because of their accents and the color of their skin, and killing American citizens, all while showing no remorse for what they’ve done.”

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Thanedar went further, asking: “Director Lyons and Commissioner Scott, do you think President Trump will pardon you and your boss, Kristi Noem, before he leaves office, just like he did with the rioters and their political allies? Do you believe President Trump will pardon you?”

“I’m not going to speak for President Trump, but let me tell you, I signed up for this job to protect America and I’m very proud of the service I’ve provided and I don’t need anyone’s pardon,” Scott said.

“You better hope so. You better hope you’re forgiven,” Thanedar replied. “Because you will be held accountable for the absolute disregard for the law your agencies have demonstrated over the past year.”

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From left, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons are sworn in during a House Homeland Security Committee oversight hearing of the Department of Homeland Security: ICE CBP and USCIS on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Thanedar continued: “Your agencies have lost the trust of the American people, millions of people have taken to the streets to protect the illegal actions of your agencies. That is why I have introduced a bill to the United States Congress to abolish ICE. ICE must be abolished.”

The congresswoman added that she “co-sponsored a bill to impeach” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, saying: “I believe Kristi Noem should be removed from office, and this Congress should do everything in its power to conduct oversight actions against these rogue departments.”

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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a press conference at One World Trade Center in New York on January 8, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Before Thanedar could finish his speech, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino (RY) intervened and said, “Gentleman’s time is up” and called for a recess in the hearing.