LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON HISTORIC LAWSUIT AGAINST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

Over the last several months, the Trump administration has repeatedly and unlawfully blocked Members of Congress from carrying out oversight of potential abuses in our immigration detention system. Today, Democratic Members of Congress are fighting back with a first-of-its-kind lawsuit asserting our constitutional responsibility to serve as a check-and-balance on the executive branch and its weaponization of immigration enforcement.

Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is undermining our values as a nation of immigrants and one anchored in the rule of law. ICE and DHS have repeatedly and illegally arrested and detained American citizens and lawful permanent residents without due process. These extreme tactics, like raiding churches and schools and unleashing masked ICE agents on law-abiding communities, are extreme and unacceptable. The Trump administration is determined to hide the truth from Congress and the American people. House Democrats will not be silenced or intimidated.

This is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and I thank my colleagues for their leadership in bringing this groundbreaking lawsuit forward, including: the Congressional Hispanic Caucus led by Chair Adriano Espaillat, the Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group helmed by Assistant Democratic Leader Joe Neguse and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, Oversight and Government Reform Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, a group of the Members putting themselves on the frontline of this fight including Representatives Lou Correa, Jason Crow, Veronica Escobar, Dan Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Raul Ruiz and Norma Torres and our partners at Democracy Forward and American Oversight.