Rep Shri Thanedar calls ICE agents ‘thugs’ at House committee hearing

Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich. He launched a blistering attack on federal agents on Tuesday, calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers “thugs” and accusing them of criminal conduct during a heated House hearing.

The Democrat’s comments came during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Thanedar told ICE acting director Todd Lyons, “I’ve heard and seen enough. I’m sick and tired of your agents roaming our cities, our streets, causing illegal activity.” he said.

“ICE and CBP thugs roam our streets, attack our communities, use our children as bait, refer to people as sizes and numbers, target people because of their accents and skin color, and murder American citizens – all while showing zero remorse for their actions,” he continued.

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Lyons said ICE has arrested nearly 379,000 people, including 7,000 suspected gang members and 1,400 suspected terrorists.

Midway through implementation, federal agents faced a more than 8,000% increase in death threats.

Thanedar, who introduced legislation to abolish ICE in January, investigated Lyons and U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner Rodney Scott, accusing them of criminal conduct that could warrant a presidential pardon.

“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?”

Scott responded by saying he was proud of his service.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), testifies at an oversight hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, February 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

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“I’m not going to speak for President Trump, but let me tell you this, I signed up for this job to protect America,” he said. “I’m proud of my service and I don’t need anyone’s forgiveness.”

D-Calif. Fellow representative Eric Swalwell also asked Lyons if he would resign during the hearing, citing his military career.

From left, Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, speak with Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

“I read your background, you have a special career. You served in the military… That’s not the only job you can get,” Swalwell said. “But since you took office, women have been dragged by their hair through our streets. A six-year-old child battling stage four cancer was deported and it turned out he was a US citizen. People were running in the fields where they worked. People who took to the streets as allies were shot and publicly executed.”

“At this point, given your decision to stay, your past honorable service, the dishonorable actions of those who work for you, and the disgraceful statements made by upper management, you now have a decision to make: will you stand with the children you are supposed to protect, or will you stand with the murderers who bring terror to our streets. Mr. Lyons, will you resign from ICE?” Swawell asked.

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Lyons simply replied, “No sir, I won’t.”

When pressed further, he added: “Because, sir, that kid you showed there, the men and women of ICE took care of him when his father abandoned him.”