U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta condemned what he called lawless behavior by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol following the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota.
During a Jan. 29 press conference in Santa Cruz, Panetta accused federal agencies of heavy-handed tactics that have terrorized minority and immigrant communities and called for the removal of White House advisor Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“Let me be clear that the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) ICE and CBP agents are not law enforcement,”Panetta said. “Instead, they are acting like a lawless marauding mob posing as police. At the federal level we are doing what we can to make sure that we prevent further deadly shootings of U.S citizens and the violation of civil liberties by ICE and CBP agents.”
Panetta said recent actions by ICE and CBP erode public trust in local law enforcement and public institutions.
“I have called for the removal and resignation of Stephen Miller, who’s driving this mass deportation policy and Secretary Noem who is implementing this policy,” Panetta said. “If there’s not the removal of those two administration officials, you will see impeachment resolutions in the house.”
Last year, Miller set a goal of 3,000 arrests per day, by the end of 2025, more than 352,000 have been deported, according to ICE data analysis by The Guardian, the majority with no criminal record.
On Jan. 14, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly from Illinois introduced articles of impeachment against Noem. As of Friday, 156 politicians have signed onto the resolution—all Democrats, as reported by Newsweek.
Panetta, who sits on the Budget and Ways and Means Committees in the House, last week voted against giving more money to DHS through an appropriations bill that is necessary for keeping the federal government open.
“I voted no with a DHS Appropriation package because I’m not going to be complicit when it comes to ICE and CBP agents’ lawlessness,” Panetta said. “This week negotiations taking place right now are for legislation—not executive action.”
Panetta was joined at the press conference by Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto and Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark.
“There is a lot of distrust, anger, fear and anxiety in our community, and local law enforcement is absorbing all of that emotion,” Nieto said.
Standing alongside Clark, Nieto said that “every law enforcement agency in the state of California has a duty to intervene if it sees an illegal use of force taking place.”
Panetta and other Democrats want to rein in ICE and the CBP and ensure proper oversight of DHS, including implementing basic accountability measures such as no masks on agents, adopting warrant requirements, bans on deporting American citizens, and requiring proper training and body cameras.
“When it comes to legislation, I firmly believe that this is another opportunity for Speaker Johnson to make sure that we re-establish our role as a check on the executive branch, defend civil liberties and create a compromise to place a commonsense guard rail on ICE and the CBP,” Panetta said.
Panetta earlier this week, alongside other Congressional Veterans demanded an independent investigation into the killing of Minnesota residents Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at a VA hospital and Renee Good, as well as other civil rights abuses by ICE and CPB.
On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced The Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into the killing of Pretti by federal agents, but not Good’s death.
“We’re in a different world right now, and we need to be involved,” Nieto said. “We need to get involved in protecting our constitutional rights and protecting the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment—these are all things that, based on my perception, I see that are getting violated, and my hope is that our federal government does the right thing and investigates it and does better.”
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Congressman Panetta calls out ‘lawless’ behavior of ICE, CBP agents
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
