00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:01Is recognized for five minutes for your questions.
00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member.
00:05Thank you so much.
00:06And thank you, Administrative Director, for being here with us.
00:09I appreciate the work that the men and women do for ICE.
00:12I've been working with them since I first got started here.
00:15In fact, I started off with one of your agents, Al Peña, who I think became Deputy Director
00:21of ICE some years ago.
00:23When we're in Laredo, we started the BEST program.
00:27That is the Border Enforcement Security Task Force.
00:30Since then, we've put it into language.
00:32We've expanded it.
00:33I think you got over 70.
00:35And it goes after the cartels for drugs, trade, et cetera, et cetera.
00:41How is that coming along, the BEST programs?
00:44Thank you, sir, for bringing it up, and I appreciate the work for former Director Pena.
00:51The BEST program is an excellent program that does protect our homeland, specifically through
00:56the work of what Homeland Security investigation does, not only for the criminal cartels, but
01:03illicit activity and long-term investigations on the border.
01:08Recently the President signed the executive order with the establishment of the Homeland
01:10Security Task Force.
01:11I think the committee will be happy with the results of what these task forces will do.
01:16It will bring to bear all the federal resources of the Department of Justice and the Department
01:22of Homeland Security to focus on these transnational gangs, these ones that are bringing in fentanyl,
01:27these illicit drugs that are coming into our communities.
01:30Not only that, but they'll focus on these transnational cartel organizations, along with foreign terrorist
01:36organizations that do threaten up our border.
01:39Not only the southern border, but the northern border.
01:41As well as our maritime interdiction, which has increased greatly.
01:46Just last night, Homeland Security Investigations had their first indictment for support of terrorism
01:53material in San Diego, which is one of the actions that you'll see coming out of the Homeland Security
01:58Task Forces.
01:59I appreciate the good work that the program does.
02:03Are we still at about 1.3 million final deportation orders?
02:09I know your work is very hard, and I remember Director Morgan many years ago, some people
02:17want you to do more, some people think you're doing too much, so trying to find that balance
02:21is always difficult.
02:23But where are we on the 1.3 million final deportation orders?
02:29And I don't know if that's still the correct number.
02:30Yes, sir.
02:32It's approximately 1.1 million final deportation orders.
02:35We're actively still prioritizing those and attempting to affect those removals.
02:42As the President said on the Secretary Noem, we did prioritize, and we still are prioritizing
02:47the worst of the worst.
02:48However, during our investigations and when we are out in the communities, should we encounter
02:53someone that has a final order?
02:55It has been lawfully ordered removed or deported from the United States.
02:59ICE is going to uphold their sworn duty and take that individual into custody and affect that
03:03removal order.
03:04But to your question, sir, ICE is actively working on those final orders at this time.
03:09Good.
03:10Yeah, and I understand what happens if you run into somebody.
03:13You can't just close your eyes.
03:16But as long as you focus on criminals and final deportation orders, national security threats,
03:22that would be good.
03:24Let me go back to, it's actually Section 527.
03:28Very familiar because myself and some other folks, we added that language.
03:31In fact, we added language on oversight of the detention because ICE doesn't really have
03:38detention.
03:39So you have to go to the private sector to do that.
03:43But we put specific language, one where a member of Congress does not, it says specifically,
03:49doesn't have to give notice.
03:50Staff might have to give notice, but members can go in and act accordingly, number one.
03:56And then on the oversight, health, food, you know, whatever needs to be provided to the
04:06folks that are being detained.
04:08We have very specific language to make sure that those private contractors are following
04:13that and you all are following that oversight that Congress has set up.
04:18Yes, sir.
04:19Yes, we are.
04:20And that's one of the things that I am proud of is ICE does have some of the highest detention
04:24standards.
04:26But unfortunately, that does hinder a lot of local partners partnering with us because
04:30due to the high standards that ICE has, it's cost prohibitive for a local law enforcement
04:36agency, state, or a sheriff's department to actually enter into ICE because they would
04:39not be able to afford.
04:41Okay.
04:42And just finally, years ago, we started the border coordinating processors for Border Patrol
04:49because we wanted Border Patrol to be out in the fields and not changing diapers, making
04:53sandwiches for migrants.
04:55Very important, but not for the agents.
04:57We want more support staff for y'all, so make sure you keep asking for the support staff
05:02so you can have the agents doing their work instead of being sitting down behind a task.
05:07It worked very well for Border Patrol.
05:10We did a lot of things for Border Patrol, Border Processing, support staff, mental health, support
05:17staff because everybody goes through that situation, so just make sure you ask the committee
05:23for that support.
05:24Yes, sir.
05:26I appreciate you bringing that up.
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