Larson, Crockett, and Jeffries Speak Out Against Trump Administration “Report” Targeting Them for Exercising First Amendment Rights
Washington, D.C. - After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a "report" targeting Reps. John B. Larson (CT-01) and Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries(NY-08), for exercising their First Amendment rights to speak out against the Trump Administration, the members gathered on the Capitol steps to vow that they will not be silenced.
View Larson, Crockett, and Jeffries’ video here.
“I am proud and honored to stand with my colleagues and be singled out by President Trump and his minions for standing up for the people in this country who this administration has gone after. This is a badge of honor,” said Larson.
“If you truly believe that ICE is doing what they are supposed to be doing, then they wouldn’t be hiding their faces,” said Crockett. “The rest of law enforcement don’t have to hide their faces because they are not going in and busting people’s windows and taking people down to the ground. So don’t be mad when we accurately describe what is taking place. It is a travesty. I don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent. You should all be offended and concerned if we allow any law enforcement in this country to treat anyone the way that they have treated even U.S. citizens.”
“The Department of Homeland Security has put out a list of people who have spoken out forcefully against the extremism being unleashed on the American people by Donald Trump,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “John Larson is on that list. Jasmine Crockett is on that list. I’m on that list. It’s meant to intimidate us. It doesn’t intimidate us. It inspires us, because it’s clear we are doing the right thing on behalf of the American people. I stand proudly, shoulder to shoulder, with John Larson, Jasmine Crockett, and all of my colleagues who the Trump Administration – the so-called Department of Homeland Security – has singled out for forcefully pushing back against them.”
The Trump Department of Homeland Security’s “report” targeted Reps. Larson, Crockett, and Jeffries, as well as immigrant advocates who have spoken out against ICE’s abusive tactics – including recent raids in Newington and Southington, Connecticut. The leaders reiterated their calls to require ICE agents to identify themselves and bar them from wearing masks.
After the Supreme Court cleared the way last week for federal immigration authorities to make indiscriminate stops based on ethnicity, language, and other factors, Larson and a group of his colleagues introduced the Home Together Act to block the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from sharing records with ICE and other immigration enforcement agencies, including home addresses and ethnicities.