'We Have A Constitution For A Reason!': Troy Carter Slams Trump Over 'Illegal' Deportations

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During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA) spoke about President Trump's mass deportation agenda.

Transcript

00:00The gentleman yields. I now recognize Mr. Carter for his five minutes of question.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

00:08Like many Americans, I'm deeply troubled by the cruel and profoundly un-American

00:14mass deportation agenda being undertaken by the Donald Trump administration and his allies.

00:20These harsh policies are not about public safety or border security. We've seen children torn from

00:27their parents, flagrant disregard of basic due process protections and individuals targeted

00:33for exercising their First Amendment rights. Congress must do what we can to uphold the

00:39values of our founding fathers and the rights of all people in the United States. We need

00:45immigration policies rooted in dignity, fairness, and most importantly, due process, not cruelty

00:52and authoritarianism. Despite campaign promises, the vast majority of those detained or deported

00:59under this administration have had no criminal record. Many of these individuals have lived

01:07here for years, raised families here, and contributed to our communities. In New Orleans, my hometown

01:15district. Just weeks ago, Madonna Kashanian, an Iranian woman who's lived in the United States for almost

01:27five decades with no criminal record, was gardening outside her home when ICE agents detained her.

01:36I'd like to commend my friend and colleague, majority leaders, Congressman Steve Scalise, who worked

01:44with me to get her released. Yeah, I said, majority leader, Steve Scalise, who worked to have her released.

01:52Congressman Scalise said, and I quote, she's been a great member of this community. She's done a lot

02:00for the people, and her life work is what you should be, she should be judged on. This was said by a Republican,

02:08by your leader.

02:12I agree with this sentiment, and I hope that my Republican colleagues

02:16that see this and know that they should too

02:20treat every human being seeking a better life in this country

02:24the same way.

02:28Steve Scalise, majority leader, Republican,

02:32said that we have to have a better process, that we shouldn't be snatching people who are

02:36people that are here that hadn't broken any laws, that had been here

02:40for many years.

02:42Let's keep this going.

02:44Sounds like we're on the right track.

02:46I would ask my colleagues on this committee and in the Republican conference to,

02:50likewise, follow the lead of their leader, who said this, and acted, more importantly,

02:56and she's been released as a part of that.

03:00She now has due process.

03:02That's all we're asking that people have is due process.

03:04Have an opportunity to defend yourself.

03:06If you are, in fact, someone that's been breaking laws and are habitual,

03:10that's another story.

03:11But if you've been here and you tried to go through the process,

03:14you should not be singled out.

03:16Mr. Beer, how has the Trump administration's immigration enforcement practice,

03:22such as denying access to legal counsel and expedited deportations without hearings,

03:28undermined basic due process and constitutional protections?

03:32Look, this administration went to the Supreme Court with the proposition that they could

03:36grab anyone off the streets, put them on a plane with no hearing, no warning,

03:41and fly them to a foreign prison and put them there indefinitely and pay for it with U.S. tax dollars.

03:47They went to the Supreme Court.

03:48The Supreme Court said, no, you can't do that.

03:50You've got to go back and give people due process.

03:54That's a good win.

03:55Unfortunately, they have tried to evade that ruling in every conceivable possible way,

04:00using other authorities, to fly people to other countries.

04:04We have a constitution for a reason.

04:06We have a constitution.

04:07We have a constitution.

04:08The founders of our constitution were keenly aware that this day might come.

04:13Yes, they were.

04:15Absolutely, they were.

04:16The problem we're facing is there's a lack of consequences when an administration

04:21or agents of the administration violate the constitution.

04:25They can violate it with impunity, and as long as they can, they will continue to do so.

04:29I've got about 36 seconds.

04:30I want to get a few more questions.

04:31What does it mean for civil liberties in a democratic society when the Trump administration

04:36targets individuals for immigration enforcement based on political speech and activism, not

04:43because of anything else, just because they don't like what you said?

04:47This is America, right?

04:48This is America, and in America, you don't need a passport to speak freely, and that is

04:53what it's coming to.

04:54If you can get a phone call from ICE to prove that you are a citizen and therefore you have

05:00the right to say certain things critical of the government, we have degraded free speech

05:05for every single person in the United States.

05:07Lastly, and I'm already over my time, so thank you, Mr. Chairman.

05:10When ICE agents wearing masks without identifying badges or identification, we've seen people

05:20abuse this already.

05:22What risk do we have?

05:23And I'd ask each of the members to kind of chime in very briefly.

05:26When we have armed guards that don't wear any identification, that don't show a badge,

05:32that hide their faces, I understand the argument that we have to protect the agents, but should

05:37there not be some duty to identify yourself as a duly appointed ICE agent to make sure

05:43that nefarious actors are not misusing this role to do things that are further illegal

05:49than we've already seen happen, real quickly?

05:51Yeah, we've already seen, as I said before, a huge number of cases around the country where

05:56people have impersonated ICE agents using masks, and it's a real problem in the country.

06:01Mr. Comrade, I assume they're doing it because they have a fear that they could be

06:07targeted.

06:08Certainly there are violent groups that have targeted ICE, and that's presumed...

06:11So why don't all police officers do that?

06:13I don't know that they're being targeted.

06:14Because they're not being targeted.

06:15Yeah, there's not...

06:16Oh, you don't think police officers are being targeted?

06:17I beg the difference.

06:18That was the last time a congressman got...

06:20We see police officers, man, we see police officers being targeted on the street of America

06:24every single day.

06:25They don't cover their faces because they understand they have to protect and serve.

06:29My time is you.

06:30When they...

06:31Thank you, sir.

06:32Your time is up, too.

06:33Your time is up, too, sir.

06:34Your time...

06:35Sir, your time is up.

06:36Reclaiming my time.

06:37Reclaiming my time.

06:38Your time is up.

06:39Reclaiming my time.

06:40You have no time, sir.

06:42Sir, you have no time.

06:44Reclaiming your own office.

06:45You are not going to over-speak me, sir.

06:46When you're asking...

06:47Well, you're doing it to me, so I'll do it to you.

06:48Well, you're not a member of Congress.

06:49God bless you, sir.

06:50Give me a minute if you boast to spin.

06:51Yeah.

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