Marsha Blackburn Reveals Details From Ride-Along With ICE Agents

Forbes Breaking News

In remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) spoke about joining a ride-along with ICE agents.

Transcript

00:00The senator from Tennessee. Thank you, Mr. President. Every day our nation's ICE

00:06officers are putting their lives on the line to get criminal illegal aliens out

00:12of the communities. And I wanted to see firsthand what they were going through,

00:17so this past weekend I joined a ride-along with ICE agents outside of

00:24Nashville. Until you're actually on the ground, you do not appreciate the amount

00:31of work that goes into their operations. They are identifying the criminal

00:37illegal aliens. They are finding out where they are and they're figuring out

00:43the safest way to surveil them and also to apprehend them. And it is so much more

00:52than a full-time job. As I visited with the agents, what I found out is that nearly

01:00every one of them are working 75 and 80 hours a week dealing with some of the

01:09worst criminals imaginable. Now when I joined the agents for the ride-along, they

01:15were targeting a criminal illegal alien who had been convicted of child sexual

01:24abuse. The agents could see a child on the individual's property, but they could not

01:30enter the home because they are not given a warrant. Instead, they have to wait until

01:38the criminal comes outside or is in a public space and then they're able to

01:45apprehend him. That's why it is so important that local law enforcement work

01:51with our ICE agents. In Democrat cities with sanctuary policies, however, our federal

01:59law enforcement is facing an uphill battle. Recently, amid violent anti-ICE riots,

02:07riots in Los Angeles, a mob surrounded ICE agents who had taken an illegal alien into

02:15custody. Amid the commotion, a group of men jumped out of a van and grabbed the

02:21suspect, helping him flee from the agents. According to recent reports, LAPD refused to

02:30send out an alert to track down the vehicle. They didn't want to run a

02:37fowl of LA's sanctuary city policies. What we also know is these ICE agents

02:47nationwide have seen a 500% increase in attacks against them. Now, all of this

02:57should not be happening in our nation's cities, which is why Congress should do

03:02everything that we can to support the ICE agents and work to make America safe

03:07again. My CLEAR Act would ensure that state and local law enforcement officials

03:14have the explicit authority to assist federal government resources in our

03:21immigration enforcement efforts, codifying the 287 program that is absolutely so

03:30critical to local law enforcement. I also introduced legislation that would make it

03:36illegal to dox federal immigration officials who are working to protect our

03:41communities. Last month, Nashville's Democrat mayor did exactly that, handing

03:48information about federal law enforcement agents on a silver platter to criminal gangs.

03:56Meanwhile, House Democrat leader Jeffries said ICE agents should be unmasked, no matter what

04:04it takes, no matter how long it takes. This appalling effort from Democrats comes at the

04:12time when, as I said, these agents are facing a 500% increase in assaults. 500%.

04:24Just last week, a criminal illegal alien in Minnesota used his car to drag an ICE

04:33officer 50 yards while that criminal was trying to evade arrest. President Trump and

04:42Republicans understand that law enforcement deserves our unwavering support. That's why

04:49we're going to do what it takes to help them. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the next

04:57portion of my remarks be placed separately in the record.

05:01Without objection.

05:02Thank you, Mr. President. This weekend, the U.S. military did something absolutely incredible. With Operation Midnight Hammer, the

05:13United States of America wiped out Iran's nuclear program. For years, the Islamic

05:20Republic has unleashed chaos across the Middle East with terrorism, murder, and

05:27violence. All the while, they worked to develop nuclear weapons while they were

05:32chanting, death to Israel and death to America. Now, under President Trump's decisive

05:39leadership, that threat is eliminated. Thanks to the bravery, valor, and unmatched

05:45capability of the U.S. military. It is hard not to be in awe when you read the details of

05:52the operation. Departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, our service members flew seven B-2

06:00Spirit bombers for 18 hours to Iran's nuclear sites, dropped more than 400,000 pounds in bunker buster bombs,

06:14and returned home with zero casualties. At the same time, a U.S. submarine under U.S.

06:21Central Command launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the regime's

06:28nuclear infrastructure. Supporting the operation were more than 125 aircraft, including dozens of

06:37aerial refueling tankers. Make no mistake, we have the only military on the planet that could get this job done,

06:46and it's because our brave service members are the greatest fighting force in the history of the

06:52world. Every single American should be grateful for the men and women who carried out Operation

07:00Midnight Hammer. Because of their efforts, a ceasefire has already been reached between Israel and a much

07:09weaker Iran. This is what peace through strength looks like, and only the U.S. military under President

07:18Trump's leadership could accomplish this feat. I yield the floor.

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