Underwood: ICE ‘completely unresponsive’ after enforcement in Joliet
U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood told a crowd during a Joliet town hall that she has received no response from top federal officials regarding a report of a “reckless” immigration enforcement incident in the city.
The Naperville Democrat spoke on a wide range of issues Tuesday at Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet. One of those issues concerned the controversial immigration enforcement under the President Donald Trump administration.
“ (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are out of control, trampling over our constitutional rights and snatching people off our streets,” Underwood said.
The Trump administration seeks to achieve 1 million deportations per year, and ICE is poised to receive $76.5 billion in funding, almost 10 times its current annual budget, according to The Associated Press.
An Associated Press analysis of ICE statistics found the majority of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions, and there are relatively few convicted of high-level crimes.
One of the attendees at Tuesday’s town hall asked Underwood about her July 17 letter sent to Todd Lyons, acting director for ICE.
Underwood’s letter raised concerns about a report of a July 9 incident in which federal immigration enforcement agents “rammed” their unmarked vehicle into a civilian vehicle in a “high-traffic” area.
By July 20, Underwood expected a “comprehensive briefing” from Lyons about the incident that was described as “very aggressive” and “dangerous” by Marcos Ceniceros, executive director of Warehouse Workers for Justice.
“ICE has been completely unresponsive to our inquiries, and that is unacceptable,” Underwood said at the town hall.
She said there was “considerable property damage” done in the course of that “enforcement action.” She said that is not the “kind of law enforcement that we expect in our community.”
“We are going to continue to seek information on this case and their use of force policy,” Underwood said.
Underwood has planned additional town halls in the region, including on Saturday, Aug. 9, in Aurora.