WASHINGTON – Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) walked out of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday after calling the hearing – titled “ICE Under Fire: The Radical Left’s Crusade Against Immigration Enforcement” – an exercise in Republican political theater.
At the hearing, Republican senators raised concerns about organizations that mobilize people to active ICE operations and the lack of cooperation between sanctuary cities’ local law enforcement and federal law enforcement. Sen. Padilla was the only Democrat in attendance. He delivered an opening statement then exited the hearing.
“Violence against law enforcement is never okay, but I refuse to sit back as this committee attempts to use or condone the use of law enforcement as a shield for abuses of power by this administration,” Padilla said. “If today’s hearing was indeed a serious effort to protect our law enforcement, we would have government witnesses testifying before us today.”
Witnesses included Texas sheriff Roy Boyd, Vice President of Chicago Flips Red Danielle Carter-Walters and Washington Examiner reporter Mia Cathell. Their testimonies supported the Republican narrative that ICE agents are facing local opposition.
Chair Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) began the hearing by condemning mainstream media outlets for overlooking the “real harm that these criminal aliens” have caused and instead focusing on the actions of ICE agents.
Throughout the U.S., communities have staged protests and interventions during ICE activity in their cities. Republicans claim these protesters have attacked federal law enforcement.
“Some of these protesters are outright lunatics, and I don’t use this word lightly,” Cornyn said. “Anyone watching the news has seen protesters from every corner of the radicals’ left base. We’ve seen everything from straight up thugs committing physical violence to activists dressed as dinosaurs.”
During her testimony, Cathell accused the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, or CHIRLA, for being part of a “sprawling anti-ICE activist network.” She noted that CHIRLA’s deportation defense team is supported by the Los Angeles Justice Fund — a public-private partnership that includes the City of Los Angeles.
Cathell characterizes CHIRLA as a “far-left agitator group” that gets government funding. The group responds to ICE raids by alerting immigration lawyers, legal observers and activist organizers of the federal enforcement agency’s presence. Left unchecked, she claims, CHIRLA and other organizations will continue to “work in tandem to advance agendas harmful to the safety and security of the nation.”
Cathell ended her testimony by expressing that the demonstrations could increasingly instigate violent clashes, but she did not note any instances of protesters involved in illegal activity.
Outside the hearing, Padilla voiced support for those standing up to protect their communities.
“I have to highlight and give credit to so many of the advocates that are in communities from Los Angeles to Chicago to Portland and beyond, now in North Carolina,” said Padilla. “People who are willing to volunteer to go out and help document activity that’s happening in the public spaces.”
Cornyn condemned anti-ICE protesters for vilifying, attacking and criticizing the “heroic” law enforcement officials “simply” doing the job Congress asked them to do. He accused his Democratic colleagues of fanning the flames with their messaging around ICE. Padilla disputed that argument.
“I speak for all my Democratic colleagues in the committee and Senate, for that matter, in saying violence against law enforcement is never okay,” Padilla said. “Because many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest and accuse Democrats of believing otherwise.”
Padilla told reporters he would like to see future hearings address ICE misconduct and violations of due process.
