WASHINGTON — The acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement faced sharp questioning from lawmakers Tuesday as a divided House of Representatives hearing highlighted deep partisan splits over the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations.
Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee alongside Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott and Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow. All three agencies operate under the Department of Homeland Security.
Republican lawmakers largely praised the officials and defended the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, while Democrats sharply criticized what they described as a lack of due process, poorly regulated enforcement practices, and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in recent incidents.
Democratic members also questioned whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should step down amid growing controversy over her recent remarks characterizing the victims of the shootings as having committed “an act of domestic terrorism.”
Republicans, by contrast, highlighted what they said were the dangers faced by federal immigration agents and defended President Donald Trump’s deportation policies as necessary for national security.
New York Democratic Representative Timothy Kennedy criticized ICE agents for wearing masks during immigration raids, saying such practices undermine transparency. “In America, we shouldn’t have secret police. We shouldn’t have masked government agents executing citizens in the streets,” he said.
Asked directly whether the homeland security secretary should resign, Lyons declined to answer, saying he would not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Lawmakers also pressed Lyons on the use of body cameras by immigration agents. Lyons said he supports broader use of body cameras and noted that more than 3,000 of roughly 13,000 ICE officers currently active in the field are equipped with cameras. He added that about 10,000 of the nation’s 20,000 Border Patrol agents also use body cameras.
New Jersey Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver went further, questioning the continued funding of the agency. “How many government agencies are you aware of that routinely kill American citizens and still get funding?” she asked, calling for ICE to be abolished.
The two fatal shootings by federal enforcement personnel in Minneapolis have intensified Democratic calls for changes in how immigration agencies operate and contributed to a brief lapse in government funding earlier this month.
The Department of Homeland Security is currently operating under a two-week continuing resolution that maintains existing funding levels while negotiations continue between Congress and the White House. That funding is set to expire on Friday.
Democratic demands include ending roving patrols, tightening warrant requirements, enforcing a binding code of conduct that holds federal agents to the same use-of-force standards as local police, and adopting a “masks off, body cameras on” policy for immigration enforcement officers. (Source: IANS)
