It is my great honor now to turn it over to an incredible champion who has been on the forefront of this issue not only in her home state but across the country, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez from Illinois.

Thank you, Congresswoman.

Thank you, Congressista.

Well, good afternoon, everyone.

I know it's hot, but we need a little bit of that energy.

I know we are probably having a caffeine crash with 4 p.m., but are we going to end the ice age? Yes! You just heard my colleague say, are we going to shut it down? Yes! Are we going to shut it down? Yes! Shut it down? Shut it down! Shut it down? Shut it down! That's right, that's right.

Well, let me first start saying to you that it is the honor of my life to get to serve with the renowned, incredible, relentless, unstoppable, unapologetic fighter of the people, for the people, Pramila Jayapal.

I get to work with her, and I can't believe it's been almost four years since I got here, and I was calling her.

I mean, listen, you're pissing me off.

Yeah, well, I'm pissed off with you, Giancarlo.

But I think here's the bottom line question.

What is justice for all? Who deserves justice? And I guess the question is, are government officials above the law? Is Donald Trump above the law? You're going to tell me clearly the Supreme Court has ruled that he is.

But is that the justice system in our Constitution? When we have taken our oath of office or our Pledge of Allegiance, don't we say liberty and justice for all? We don't say justice for US citizens who are lighter than or come from particular regions of the world.

We say justice for all.

When we say justice for all, we're not talking about just the white babies.

How do you make this turn around? What are you asking your constituents and those that aren't your constituents to do?

Now, another thing I'm concerned about the election, how concerned are you about shenanigans, let's say in more than likely urban areas in the country?

Well, I think we should be clear that the shenanigans have already started.

If they can win in free and fair elections, they're going to try to cheat and they're going to try to gerrymander districts to take away representation, which is what you're seeing in Tennessee, you're seeing in Florida, you're seeing in Texas and all over the South.

So that's already happening.

And I think it's really important for us to have a real conversation about how we support states, especially in critical places like Arizona and like Texas and Louisiana and other places where they're going to try to steal elections to ensure that we are doing the kind of election protection that sometimes you end up doing in other countries.

We're having to do it here.

Right.

We used to have to do in other

How concerned are you about shenanigans, let's say in more than likely urban areas in the country?

Well, I think we should be clear that the shenanigans have already started.

If they can win in free and fair elections, they're going to try to cheat and they're going to try to gerrymander districts to take away representation, which is what you're seeing in Tennessee, you're seeing in Florida, you're seeing in Texas and all over the South.

So that's already happening.

And I think it's really important for us to have a real conversation about how we support states, especially in critical places like Arizona and like Texas and Louisiana and other places where they're going to try to steal elections to ensure that we are doing the kind of election protection that sometimes you end up doing in other countries.

We're having to do it here.

Right.

We used to have to do in other countries.

How concerned are you about shenanigans, let's say, in more than likely urban areas in the country?

Well, I think we should be clear that the shenanigans have already started.

If they can win in free and fair elections, they're going to try to cheat and they're going to try to gerrymander districts and take away representation, which is what you're seeing in Tennessee, you're seeing in Florida, you're seeing in Texas and all over the South.

So that's already happening.

And I think it's really important for us to have a real conversation about how we support states, especially in critical places like Arizona and like Texas and Louisiana and other places where they're going to try to steal elections to ensure that we are doing the kind of election protection that sometimes you end up doing in other countries.

We're having to do it here.

Right.

We used to have to do in other countries.

And yet I don't see Republicans standing up for you and saying, look, you got to tone it down, buddy, because this is so disrespectful the way that you're speaking to a member of Congress.

That's exactly right, Katie.

What you saw was a witness, because today he's a witness.

He wasn't Senator Mullen.

He wasn't Congressman Mullen.

He was a witness from DHS that is required to report to Congress on what he, in fact, is and isn't doing, how he's using the resources that we appropriate, not the executive branch.

And instead of ensuring that the witness is playing by the rules of committee, they are rewarding him for taking our time, filibustering, calling us liars, calling us by our very first name, and unwilling to go silent when we ask to reclaim our time, which by rules, it requires that they immediately stop talking.

An

I'm won- wondering, uh, your response, given the fact that Trump issued that proclamation on his first day back in office.

Yeah.

No, look, I, first, I, I wanna tell you, uh, judges and the courts are in a really difficult position right now.

I mean, you're, you're talking about immigration judges who have been serving for 15, 20, 25 years now being called to question because they are following the law, they're following the procedure that's been put in place by this Congress, right? By the Constitution.

And so when you hear the president use invasion or the Department of Homeland Security disguise of protectina- protecting us from domestic terrorism to be able to shoot people or justify the shooting of Alex Preddy or Rene Goode or Silverio Villegas, you know that we have entered dangerous, dangerous territory.

At the same time, I have to make sure, Juan, that I say this clearly, this Congress also has a responsibility.

We've had the Dream and Promise Act here for a number of years, and we have not been able to pass it through both chambers.

Uh, could you talk about what you know about that and what you're calling for?

I'm won- wondering, uh, your response given the fact that Trump issued that proclamation on his first day back in office.

Yeah.

No, look, I, first, I, I wanna tell you, uh, judges and the courts are in a really difficult position right now.

I mean, you, you're talking about immigration judges who have been serving for 15, 20, 25 years now being called to question because they are following the law.

They're following the procedure that's been put in place by this Congress, right? By the Constitution.

And so when you hear the president use invasion or the Department of Homeland Security disguise of protectina- protecting us from domestic terrorism to be able to shoot people or justify the shooting of Alex Preddy or Rene Goode or Silverio Villegas, you know that we have entered dangerous, dangerous territory.

At the same time, I have to make sure, Juan, that I say this clearly, this Congress also has a responsibility.

Uh, could you talk about what you know about that and what you're calling for?

Uh, could you talk about what you know about that and what you're calling for?

Yeah, look, as you know, it's been very difficult for members of Congress to conduct these oversight visits.

Um, in many cases they continue to say, "You need to send an email." They've denied entrance, which again is a violation, right, of the authority that's been afforded to us through the appropriations process.

What is happening there is unconscionable.

I have a bill to melt ice, and what it does, in fact, is ends detention.

What you're seeing around the country, whether it's the conditions that children are being treated inside detention and families or individuals, uh, what is in their food, the conditions that they're sleeping in in these private detention centers, we have to address it.

It's why this bill is so important to me, and we're calling more members of Congress to join it.

What do you want to ask them, and if, is this going to go forward in a Republican House?

I'm won- wondering, uh, your response, given the fact that Trump issued that proclamation on his first day back in office.

Yeah.

No, look, I, first, I, I wanna tell you, uh, judges and the courts are in a really difficult position right now.

I mean, you're, you're talking about immigration judges who have been serving for 15, 20, 25 years now being called to question because they are following the law.

They're following the procedure that's been put in place by this Congress, right? By the Constitution.

And so when you hear the president use invasion or the Department of Homeland Security disguise of protectina- protecting us from domestic terrorism to be able to shoot people or justify the shooting of Alex Preddy or Rene Goode or Silverio Villegas, you know that we have entered dangerous, dangerous territory.

At the same time, I have to make sure, Juan, that I say this clearly, this Congress also has a responsibility.

Uh, could you talk about what you know about that and what you're calling for?

If you can talk about, more about Mullin's record and what it means that he is heading the Department of Homeland Security.

Security.Yeah. Well, look, I, I would start by telling you, Amy, that the confirmation that he just went through, confirmed by Pam Bondi, who is willing- unwilling to go on oath to testify about her own department, tells you everything you need to know.

Mark Wayne Mullen is a Trump loyalist, is anti-immigrant, incompetent, has never served in the Homeland Security Committee like some of us have over the last few years, and is quick to go to aggression when he feels uncomfortable or when he feels like he needs to respond.

He's the same guy that was prepared to, in a Senate hearing, fight, physically fight the president of the Teamsters.

The president of this country bragged about him when he announced him by talking about his record as an MMA fighter.

And you have someone who is now going to lead a violent agency that has killed American citizens, beat women at airports, and now he is now the new secretary that has been sworn in by both Republicans and Democrats.

A shame for our nation.

Can you talk about the significance of this?

If you can talk about, more about Mullin's record and what it means that he is heading the Department of Homeland Security.

Security.Yeah. Well, look, I, I would start by telling you, Amy, that the confirmation that he just went through, confirmed by Pam Bondi, who is willing- unwilling to go on oath to testify about her own department, tells you everything you need to know.

Mark Wayne Mullen is a Trump loyalist, is anti-immigrant, incompetent, has never served in the Homeland Security Committee like some of us have over the last few years, and is quick to go to aggression when he feels uncomfortable or when he feels like he needs to respond.

He's the same guy that was prepared to, in a Senate hearing, fight, physically fight the president of the Teamsters.

The president of this country bragged about him when he announced him by talking about his record as an MMA fighter.

And you have someone who is now going to lead a violent agency that has killed American citizens, beat women at airports, and now he is now the new secretary that has been sworn in by both Republicans and Democrats.

A shame for our nation.

Can you talk about the significance of this?

If you can talk about, more about Mullin's record and what it means that he is heading the Department of Homeland Security.

Security.Yeah. Well, look, I, I would start by telling you, Amy, that the confirmation that he just went through, confirmed by Pam Bondi, who is willing- unwilling to go on oath to testify about her own department, tells you everything you need to know.

Mark Wayne Mullen is a Trump loyalist, is anti-immigrant, incompetent, has never served in the Homeland Security Committee like some of us have over the last few years, and is quick to go to aggression when he feels uncomfortable or when he feels like he needs to respond.

He's the same guy that was prepared to, in a Senate hearing, fight, physically fight the president of the Teamsters.

The president of this country bragged about him when he announced him by talking about his record as an MMA fighter.

And you have someone who is now going to lead a violent agency that has killed American citizens, beat women at airports, and now he is now the new secretary that has been sworn in by both Republicans and Democrats.

A shame for our nation.

Can you talk about the significance of this?

[audience cheering]

Thank you, Joy.

Folks, in five months, you're gonna be really hot.

Just remember that, okay? I'm trying to remind myself of that.

Well, hi, everyone.

Buenas noches.

[audience cheering] As you heard, I'm la Congressista Delia Catalina Ramirez, and I-- y soy la hija orgullosa de padres Guatemaltecos, ciudadana de nacimiento por derecho y representante del Distrito tres, una comunidad que está en la calle luchando contra los fascistas todos los días.

[cheering]

[cheering]

Yes, I said it in Spanish because even as the fascists seek to diminish, to divide and dehumanize us, we must remain powerful and defiant to fascists.

You know, I talk a lot about the authoritarian playbook and how this administration casts the other as enemies, weaponize fear, perpetrate corruption, and reward cruelty, and abuse executive power.

But tonight I wanna talk to you about the Trump and his administration and their abuse.

They're abusing the power of government to prosecute dissent.

They're abusing immigration enforcement to terrorize us.

They're abusing detention to punish our neighbors.

[cheering].

Silverio Villegas Gonzalez and Renee Good,

violated nearly 100 court orders in January alone.

You've used banned chokeholds in more than 40 cases, engaged in warrantless arrests despite of a consent decree.

And you used children as bait to put 3,800 children in detention.

You created traps for people at immigration court who were following the law and doing it the legal way.

And you broke the law by entering into people's homes without a judicial warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Now, let's talk about you, Mr. Scott, and CBP next.

The information that you were able to gather yesterday by speaking with the heads of the three major immigration agencies, you began by talking with Lyons or questioning him, the head of ICE right now.

But first, this is an excerpt of her remarks at Tuesday's hearing.

Mr. Lyons, I, I wanna start with you, and I wanna talk about ICE.

Because under your leadership, ICE has shot and killed Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez and Rene Goode, violated nearly one hundred court orders in January alone.

You've used banned chokeholds in more than forty cases, engaged in warrantless arrests despite of a consent decree, and you used children as bait to put three thousand eight hundred children in detention.

You created traps for people at immigration court who are following the law and doing it the legal way, and you broke the law by entering to people's homes without a judicial warrant, in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Now, let's talk about you, Mr. Scott, and CBP next.

Under your leadership, CBP has attempted to execute Marimar Martinez, shooting her five times and not releasing the footage that you should release so that we can see the evidence; murdered Alex Predi; used chemical agents dozens of times in Chicago after a judge ordered you to stop; conducted warrantless surveillance and racial profiling; and acted with total disrespect and disregard for the law while engaging in roving patrols, plate switching, dangerous traffic maneuvers, and observer intimidation.

The information that you were able to gather yesterday by speaking with the heads of the three major immigration agencies, you began by talking, uh, with Lyons or questioning him, the, um, head of ICE right now.

Tell me about the piece of legislation that you are bringing to the floor and why you think these marginal changes are not enough to actually affect change.

Alicia, this is not a training problem.

The guy that executed, the agent that executed Alex had years under ice with training.

The reality is that the agency under Department of Homeland Security was created to have qualified immunity in the name of protecting us from domestic terrorism.

We created this agency.

Before 2003, we didn't have ICE.

They didn't operate the way they do.

That's

What are you calling for in each of these cases?

Yeah, we need an independent investigation, but I think that we have enough footage as well to immediately realize that what Kristi Noem and what Stephen Miller are saying is blatant lies.

DHS kills and then they lie about it.

And somehow they think that they can lie also about the video footage.

If there was body cameras and footage that they would release, it would collaborate everything we saw from every single angle.

The CBP executed Alex Prudy.

DHS and ICE killed Silverio Villegas.

But what actually happens now, this decision that can lead to a partial government shutdown if the Republicans don't agree to separate out the funding of DHS from the rest of the budget?

What are you calling for in each of these cases?

Yeah.

We need an independent investigation, but I think that we have enough footage as well to immediately realize that what Kristi Noem and what Stephen Miller are saying is blatant lies.

DHS kills, and then they lie about it, and somehow they think that they can lie also about the video footage.

If there was body cameras and footage that they would release, it would collaborate everything we saw from every single angle.

The CBP executed Alex Pretty.

DHS and ICE killed Silverio Villegas.

uh, that can lead to a partial government shutdown if the Republicans don't agree to separate out the funding of DHS from the rest of the budget.

During the hearing, Congress member Delia Ramirez of Chicago, the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, announced she's taking the first steps to impeach Kristi Noem.

You lied on the record, and you lied to members of this committee.

You violated court orders by not turning around deportation flights bound for El Salvador, where we know that hundreds of people under your leadership have reported that they were raped, they were beaten, and they nearly died.

And your agents used chemical weapons in Chicago despite court orders from District Court Judge Ellis forbidding their use.

Secretary Nome, you, Gregory Bovino, and your ICBP and DHS deputized agents have waged an unaccountable, unlawful, unconstitutional war against communities across the nation.

Our residents have been surveilled.

They've been threatened.

Your reaction to this assertion by ICE?

During the hearing, Congressmember Delia Ramirez of Chicago, the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, announced she's taking the first steps to impeach Kristi Noem.

You lied on the record, and you lied to members of this committee.

You violated court orders by not turning around deportation flights bound for El Salvador where we know that hundreds of people, under your leadership, have reported they were raped, they were beaten, and they nearly died.

And your agents used chemical weapons in Chicago despite court orders from District Court Judge Ellis forbidding their use.

Secretary Noem, you, Gregory Bovino, and your ICBP and DHS deputized agents have waged an unaccountable, unlawful, unconstitutional war against communities across the nation.

Our residents have been surveilled.

They've been threatened.

Your, your reaction to this, uh, assertion by ice?

Trump has joked, according to two people who heard the remark." Does it feel that way, like the body that you're in is a s- as- has been sort of rendered a useless appendage?

Absolutely.

I mean, just think about it, Chris.

Our Speaker, his number one priority is to protect his savior, his lord and savior, Donald Trump, not to actually be the Speaker of a House of Representatives.

Uh, uh, it, it, it is unconscionable to think that you have a Speaker who has given all of his power and the power of the members that were duly elected to re- represent their constituents so that he can protect him from Epstein files, to protect a pedophile instead of protect the children that may not have food on November 1st, that he would be okay with the fact that even Donald Trump jokes around that he doesn't no longer need Congress because he's gotten everything he needed from them, as if we're no longer a co-equal branch of government.

It doesn't even feel like a co-equal branch of government because Johnson has given all of his power to Donald Trump.

Is there similar restlessness in the Democratic Caucus? Is there some sense where you guys feel like maybe we're misplaying this and we should, you know, if SNAP's gonna run out we need to change what we're doing?

Look, Chris, I would say to you that members of Congress are in DC right now, Democrats, literally trying to put pressure on Johnson to reconvene us.

What is going to come of this? And explain, in your case, who's affected in Chicago?

Yeah.

I mean, Amy, Donald Trump and his puppets, my colleagues, the Republicans in Congress, they've made it very clear.

They want my constituents uninsured.

They want them unhoused and they want them unemployed.

all while he is creating a $200 million gold project for the White House.

All while Kristi Noem continues to spend our taxpayer dollars to build and to be able to purchase $200 million worth of jets.

Yeah, I mean, it's true.

What is going to come of this? And explain, in your case, who's affected in Chicago?

Yeah.

I mean, Amy, Donald Trump and his puppets, my colleagues, the Republicans in Congress, they've made it very clear.

They want my constituents uninsured, they want them unhoused, and they want them unemployed, all while he is creating a $200 million gold project for the White House.

All while Kristi Noem continues to spend e- our taxpayer dollars to build and to be able to purchase $200 million worth of jets.

My constituents right now are asking themselves, "How could our president hate us so much? How cou- how could he be so removed from the reality of the American people, that while he brags about his golden rooms, I may not be able to feed my children tomorrow?" Because it's the cut in benefits, in SNAP benefits.

It's people who are not getting paid.

It seems like Trump is ramping everything up to deflect attention from this.