00:00The reality is that ICE and DHS are operating like Donald Trump's private personal army.
00:07They're attacking communities. They're targeting people who are just trying to live and exercising
00:14their constitutional rights. Thank you for co-leading this really important effort. We've
00:20had multiple hearings on the abuses of ICE. I want to thank our colleagues, but especially also want
00:26to thank our members that are here that are not a part of our committee, but such an important part
00:30of the communities that have been impacted, and also great leaders in the Congress as it relates
00:35to this issue and to our Senate colleagues. Thank you for all your incredible work. I want to just
00:40start by just to all of you, thank you for your immense courage. I know this is really hard.
00:49I know that there is anger, a real hurt. The loss is unimaginable, and I'm deeply sorry
00:59for what you all continue to go through every single day. And I just am so honored to be able
01:08to
01:09hear the stories of these incredible people and know that we're going to work every single day
01:17to bring justice to each of you and to the families that have suffered this immense loss.
01:25Our goal here is justice and change, and that's why I want to thank you for being here.
01:32We are here to take your testimony and to document the crimes and the misconduct of Donald Trump,
01:39Stephen Miller, and this administration. Trump's ICE and DHS are completely out of control.
01:48Now, we have in the past documented how Kristi Noem lied when she said they weren't arresting
01:54American citizens. That's a lie. How U.S. veterans weren't being targeted. That was a lie.
02:00We've seen our own veterans beaten, assaulted, held without knowing where they were.
02:04However, we've heard how immigration enforcement officers have brutalized, beat, blinded, and killed
02:11Americans, let alone what they're doing to people that are here just working and trying to live a
02:18better life. We've heard how Border Patrol agents shot an unarmed American citizen and bragged about
02:24this to his fellow agents. We heard how Trump's immigration agents have traumatized children,
02:29broken up families, violated the Constitution again and again. And we've heard heartbreaking stories
02:36that should shock every single American. The reality is that ICE and DHS are operating like Donald Trump's
02:45private personal army. They're attacking communities. They're targeting people who are just trying to live
02:54and exercising their constitutional rights. And the results are all around us. We have heard in our
03:01past few hearings testimony from teachers, veterans, working people, folks that have been arrested
03:06oftentimes with zero justification and a complete violation of their rights. Now, as of September
03:142026, Oversight Committee Democrats have documented over 1,000 credible and verified instances and
03:24abuses led by these two men, the president and Stephen Miller. You've heard in the past and you will again
03:36today some horrific accounts of the abuse of ICE and in these cases with the worst most possible outcome.
03:48Chaos has been brought to American streets by these agents and certainly heartbreak has been to all of you been
03:56a real
03:57factor in your lives since what's happened to your family members. Now, Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are trying
04:05to illegally use their police force, ICE, to smash down the doors of American people, the American people, and take
04:13away
04:13people's rights. This is not just about mass deportations, what they have also done. They're trying to attack
04:19folks or even standing up to the abuses by ICE and DHS. Innocent people have been thrown to the ground,
04:26arrested, taken without notice, attacked in some cases. We're going to hear some awful accounts today, but also
04:35important ones for the American public to hear, and I know these are all people that you all love very
04:44much, and I think it's
04:47heartbreaking to see the images and the stories, but it's an important reminder of the American public that the lives
04:55that the
04:55folks led are going to continue to have meaning. Their lives have legacy. They are going to make change in
05:03this country. They're going to make the
05:05lives of other people across this country and the world better. On March 15th, 2025, Homeland Security fatally shot
05:15Ruben Ray Martinez. Horrific. On January 7th, 2026, ICE fatally shot Renee Good.
05:29On January 24th, 2026, Border Patrol shot and killed Alex Pretty. On July 7th, 2026, Lorenzo Arojo was shot and
05:44killed
05:44by an ICE officer by an ICE officer. And on July 13th, 2026, ICE, an ICE officer shot and killed
05:55Johann Guerrero, which we have up here. We remember all of them. We honor their lives. And we know that
06:06DHS
06:07hasn't just stopped here. On Sunday, ICE shot and seriously wounded Wilbur Perez in Austin, Texas, an asylum seeker and
06:16delivery driver. And according to his lawyer, after beaten, after being beaten and sent to the hospital, he was
06:23discharged with a bullet still lodged into his body. Now, this investigation, of course, is in its early
06:32stages. But there's no question that ICE continues to terrorize this country. Now, each of these incidents
06:40is horrific. And our plan is to hold anyone accountable that was involved. And what's very
06:46important is it's not just the president and Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem that should be held accountable.
06:54It should also be the ICE agents themselves that committed these horrific acts, killings, and harm.
07:03We're here to fight for accountability and for the rights of all people. We need body cameras. We need
07:10real warrant processes for judges. We need aggressive, comprehensive, independent investigations.
07:14We need criminal prosecutions. And most importantly, we need justice for our witnesses here today.
