U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal cast a spotlight Tuesday on what he described as “troubling patterns of conduct” by federal immigration agents during detentions of U.S. citizens.
The Connecticut senator used his role as the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to focus on nearly two dozen accounts of Americans who said they were detained despite having proper documentation or telling officers they are lawful citizens.
Those firsthand stories came out of an investigation launched in October by Blumenthal’s subcommittee and a House oversight committee. ProPublica reported around that time that federal agents detained more than 170 citizens this year at immigration raids and protests, despite the denial of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that Americans are being arrested or detained.
A congressional report released Tuesday featured interviews with 22 American citizens who detailed their encounters with immigration officers — who were often wearing masks or dressed in plain clothes — reporting various instances of mistreatment, use of excessive force and the denial of medical care while they were detained.
Five of them delivered emotional testimony Tuesday afternoon before lawmakers about those experiences and their interactions with federal immigration officers. Some of their stories were featured in a video, including footage of one woman, Dayanne Figueroa, being dragged out of her car by agents during her commute to work in Chicago.
Blumenthal’s subcommittee teamed up with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to hold the public forum. It’s considered a shadow hearing since it was held and organized by the minority party. No Republicans attended — something Blumenthal was dismayed by but said he expected.
“There’s a script — citizens going about their business, taking kids to school or going to work. Immigration agents stop them, sometimes smashing into their cars, unprompted seizures at the airport, blockades at their streets,” Blumenthal said in the Senate hearing room. “Citizens are then subjected to brutal physical violence, agents frequently masked and unidentifiable turn violent without provocation.”
“This kind of abuse is a pattern,” he continued. “This excessive force has resulted in injuries to some of you and many others that have lasting impact on them.”
Over the summer, Wilmer Chavarria was coming back into the country after visiting family in Nicaragua. He said he was separated from his spouse and held in a detention area for hours while his personal and professional devices were searched without consent. Chavarria, a school superintendent in Vermont, came to the U.S. years ago on a student visa and has been a citizen since 2018.
“My devices were taken and searched out of view, and I was never given a reason for my detention. Several hours later, and after interrogations that questioned everything from my marriage to my work, I was finally released to find my spouse in the baggage claim area, still shaken from the verbal assaults he had suffered when asking for my whereabouts,” Chavarria said in his testimony.
Across the country in Los Angeles, Andrea Velez was dropped off for work when “the street was swarmed by unmarked cars.” An ICE agent approached her, and she said she used her work badge to shield her. She was detained for two days and charged with assaulting a police officer, though it was ultimately dropped.
“In the chaos of ICE’s disorganization, I spent most of the first day handcuffed and shackled in a van, watching people arrive distraught and taken against their will, while ambulances came and went for those attacked. Requests to use the bathroom or ask for food were met with hostility and anger,” Velez testified.
Those stories run counter to the Department of Homeland Security’s characterization.
“ICE does NOT arrest or deport U.S. citizens. If a U.S. citizen is arrested, it is because they have obstructed or assaulted law enforcement. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S. — NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity,” DHS posted on the platform X last week.
In response to Tuesday’s report and hearing, a DHS spokesperson provided a similar statement, reiterating that, “ICE does not arrest U.S. citizens.”
But based on their personal experiences, the five individuals testifying Tuesday vehemently disagreed with DHS’ explanation.
Blumenthal asked each of the witnesses if they made an effort to inform officers that they are citizens and attempt to present identification.
“It was the first thing out of my mouth,” said George Retes, a California resident who is an Iraq combat veteran. “They asked me if I had an ID. I told him I did. I told him that I was a citizen. I said I have a license plate that could prove I’m a disabled veteran.”
The testimony also recounted the physical and emotional toll of the witnesses.
“I feel violated. I never felt this disgusted in my life,” Figueroa said.
As a diabetic, Javier Ramirez, who was born in San Bernardino, Calif., said he couldn’t get the care he needed while he was detained.
“As soon as I was released, I had to go to a hospital to get medical care,” he said.
While the report didn’t offer specific recommendations, Blumenthal suggested at the hearing that lawmakers should work on changing federal legislation to prevent repeat situations.
“We’re here seeking accountability. We probably need to change laws to really make the federal government accountable to people like yourselves whose rights have been violated,” Blumenthal said. “I know that we’re going to be working on it here in the United States Senate, and you will be providing a powerful impetus to us in that work.”
The Connecticut Mirror/Connecticut Public Radio federal policy reporter position is made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
