The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials told Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee this week that only one officer has been referred for disciplinary action in a use-of-force case since the start of the Donald Trump administration. The closed-door briefing covered body cameras, vehicle stops and training, and came amid growing scrutiny of the agency after two recent fatal shootings involving immigrants ICE officers were trying to arrest.
The shootings in Maine and Houston, which took place within a week of each other, have raised concerns about ICE tactics as the agency steps up arrests under President Donald Trump's mass deportation drive.
At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump returned to office, and in the Maine case, family members of the officer who opened fire have said he had a history of violent behavior and should not have been given a badge and gun.
Representative Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said lawmakers were told there had been 56 complaints of excessive force against ICE officers. Of these, 32 were cleared and one was referred for disciplinary action, while the rest remain under investigation.
Lawmakers probe missing migrant childrenRepublican members of a US House oversight panel said tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children may still be unaccounted for, as witnesses urged tighter sponsor checks, better data sharing and stronger action against trafficking networks. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement held the roundtable to examine the handling of children who crossed the southern border without a parent or legal guardian during the Joe Biden administration. Chairman Congressman Clay Higgins said the Donald Trump administration had located 146,000 children since taking office. But estimates of how many remain missing varied sharply during the discussion. Retired Border Patrol chief Chris Clem put the figure at about 80,000, while other Republican members cited much higher totals. |
