Sen. Elissa Slotkin compares ICE agents to British colonial forces
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., appeared to compare federal officials enforcing immigration law to British forces terrorizing the 13 colonies. His comments Wednesday came amid debate over a budget resolution in which both sides of the political aisle are seeking to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on their own terms.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, said Democrats are launching a new effort to reopen DHS, which has been partially closed for 67 days. During his speech, he highlighted the deaths of American citizens killed during interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during violent shootings in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“The behavior of our federal forces on our streets hits home with who we are as Americans,” he said. “I’m not going to list everything ICE has done, but I want you to think about what would happen if these things happened to you.”
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., entering the Senate Chamber in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, File)
“Imagine someone in a mask breaking your car window and pulling you and your 2-year-old daughter out of that car,” he added, citing examples where ICE agents allegedly used force to detain undocumented immigrants or agitators who obstructed law enforcement operations. “Imagine being shot with rubber bullets during a protest in America. Masked men detain your five-year-old child as he returns home from kindergarten; pepper spray is used while he prays loudly.”
Slotkin and many Democrats have criticized ICE for pursuing illegal immigrants with criminal records and the use of force by agents during arrests. Some have at times called the agency a “terrorist organization” or accused it of “terrorizing” communities through enforcement actions and family separations.
Federal agents arrested an anti-ICE agitator outside an ICE facility in Minneapolis. (Mustafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Slotkin said many Americans understand that ICE’s actions are contrary to the founding of the United States
“The rebellion that our American ancestors started not far north of here was because of an oppressive government, an oppressive regime that employed brutal tactics in the streets and in people’s homes,” he said of the Revolutionary War. “That’s why we’re here today: to make common-sense reforms to federal law enforcement because of what we’ve all seen with our own eyes.”
On Wednesday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., compared ICE agents who enforce immigration law to British colonial forces. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)
He said federal agents must remove their masks, identify themselves and present judicial authorization when they want to enter someone’s home.
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“We are here today because the other side of the aisle refuses to even have a basic conversation about these reforms and wants to fully fund ICE without any changes,” he said.
