00:00Questions? Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Madam Secretary, for appearing before
00:06committee today. I want to address several issues. I'm going to try not to repeat a lot of issues
00:14that have been addressed, but I do have some substantial concerns over how ICE agents present
00:21themselves to the public. Oftentimes, we've seen many videos out there where they're masked and
00:27not properly identified. I have a lot of real personal concern about that. I just put myself
00:32in the situation of that woman from Tufts, for example. You're just walking down the street and
00:38all of a sudden, out of nowhere, three masked men, not properly identified, attack you and try to
00:46take you away. I find that to be reprehensible and not the values of this country. What steps are you
00:52taking to make sure that your ICE agents are not masked and properly identified when they approach
00:58someone? Well, ICE agents always identify themselves to individuals that they're encountering or that
01:04they're working with. What I would say as far as if they are wearing something over their faces,
01:09it's oftentimes because that agent has been involved in undercover operations or needs to be
01:15able to continue the investigative work that they do on a day-to-day basis.
01:18But don't you think, Madam Secretary, that people have a right to see whoever's trying to apprehend
01:24them? I think it's creating this unrealistic vigilante system. And are you aware that your
01:30materials, ICE agents, jackets, and those sorts, are available on Etsy for 20 bucks? Anybody can do
01:37that, throw a mask on, and run around and terrorizing people of color without any regard for the law,
01:44without any regard, because your agency does not have proper protocols to make sure their
01:48agents are clearly identified and marked when they're executing their jobs.
01:51Our agents do identify themselves. They verbally do that, and then also by the clothing that they're
01:57wearing. And if they do have something that is covering some of their facial features,
02:02it's for their investigative work or their undercover work that they do as a part of their job duties as
02:07well. What I would say is that it is important that we follow the procedures and protocols for
02:13every encounter that we have, and they have done that in every situation to the best of my knowledge.
02:18I would suggest that your protocols need to be revised, because I don't think it's reasonable
02:22for masked men to be apprehending people on the streets. I think that instills a lot of fear.
02:29It doesn't instill security in the process. And in states like Texas, that is open carry when any
02:34jack-a-doo can be walking around with a gun. I think some tragic circumstances are at bay.
02:39I'd like to switch gears to due process. I have a lot of concerns about the lack of due process that
02:45your agency has been affording people in this country. In Texas, for example, you had rounded up
02:52171 individuals were preparing to deport them, and it wasn't until the Supreme Court issued an opinion
02:57that that was unconstitutional and that their due process rights were being violated did your agency
03:03actually stop and adhere to the Supreme Court's opinion. My question to you is, has those efforts
03:10ceased in your agency? Are you going to cease trying to deport people without access to due process in
03:15the courts of law in compliance with the United States Supreme Court? Well, Congresswoman, we are
03:20following due process and using it as to how Congress has laid out to us in statute, and we are complying
03:26with all federal judges' orders as well. Well, you didn't, you weren't complying at that time.
03:30It took the United States Supreme Court to order you to comply, so you hadn't proactively complied
03:35on your own. You were intending to wrongfully deport people without access to a court hearing,
03:40without access to the rule of law, and that is why it was necessary for the United States Supreme Court,
03:45mostly who issued an opinion ordering you and your agency to comply with the due process rights of
03:52the people in this country. That's what separates, that's what makes our country great, is we do have
03:56access to due process. And so my comment to you is, I am hoping as you move forward, because initially,
04:03as you were proceeding through these deportation processes, you were not affording people due
04:07process, and the Supreme Court has now ordered you to do so. So I am assuming by your testimony
04:12that you do intend to comply with the Supreme Court's order moving forward, and we're not going
04:17to have any more instances of wrongful deportation without proper access to due process. Is that correct?
04:22We are following federal judges' orders, and we are complying with due process procedures as they
04:28are laid out, as Congress has given us those tools to do that. Thank you, Madam Secretary. I have one
04:32other question about FEMA. I'm very concerned about the destruction of FEMA. You know, Texas is a state
04:40that has a lot of hurricanes, tornadoes, and natural disasters. We rely upon FEMA extensively, and
04:46I'm very worried about that. And when you are governor, though, you actually utilize FEMA for
04:52your own state. So you did recognize at the time when you were serving as a governor that FEMA played
04:56an important role in natural disasters within South Dakota. Is that correct?
04:59Yes, we had 12 FEMA-related disasters during the six years I served as governor of the state of South
05:06Dakota. But I just find it, I'm running out of time, but I just find it ironic.
05:11I now recognize Mr. Pflueger, the gentleman from Texas, for five minutes.
05:15Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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