Peggy Flanagan: ‘I Think We Have to Rip ICE Apart’

TRANSCRIPT:

FLANAGAN: "So, I think that we have to rip ICE apart. You know, what we’ve experienced here, as you mentioned, over 3,000 ICE agents in our streets terrorizing our communities, the economic impact is ongoing. I think about the trauma that our children have experienced. Many of our kids now have an ACE score, an adverse childhood experience score simply because there were federal agents in our streets. And as you mentioned, the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, ICE is out of control. And, you know, just today we talked about this administration wants to have ICE  agents now wearing gloves that electrocute people, electric gloves, spending millions of dollars on this. It’s outrageous that this lawless entity that's been allowed to kill with impunity, and not to mention that there’s been over 50 people who have died, you know, while Donald Trump has been in office in these detention centers, I think that we can absolutely ensure that we have secure borders and an immigration system that is grounded in public safety, that is grounded in dignity and a pathway to citizenship for folks. This is completely broken and I don’t think there should be one more penny — they’ve already spent $240 billion so far — one more penny going to ICE as they have continued to just cause terror and chaos wherever they go and have essentially been utilized as Donald Trump’s private police force. It’s  outrageous. And I think we can have an immigration system, but ICE as it currently exists shouldn’t receive one more penny and, frankly, folks need to be held accountable for what they’ve done in Minnesota and in communities across the United States."