WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement:
“Despite the image this amoral administration would like to project to the American people, the growing presence of immigration enforcement in our communities is not about public safety or enforcing the law. It is about stoking fear in Black and brown communities. It is about sending a message to our communities that our lives, safety, and security do not matter.
“Time and again, we have seen horrific acts of violence in our communities at the hands of immigration enforcement officers operating with impunity.
“The incident that occurred in New York, in which Oscar Belgal was shot and handcuffed in the street and the life of his 5-year-old child endangered, is deeply disturbing and cannot become the norm anywhere in our country. We cannot and will not turn a blind eye to this abuse of power by the Trump administration.
“At an absolute minimum, the officers involved must be held to account, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin must immediately end all vehicle stops in civil immigration enforcement, and the arrest quotas that have led to racial profiling and unnecessary and, too often, violent interactions between law enforcement officials and ordinary people must end.
“The Congressional Black Caucus, in lockstep with partners in the civil rights community, will continue fighting to get ICE and Customs and Border Protection off our streets.
“In a matter of weeks, congressional change will come, and when Democrats take back the majority in Congress, we will work to hold this administration accountable for the terror it has inflicted on our communities.”
