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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Tell us the truth': Heated showdown erupts as House panel votes to subpoena DOJ for Epstein files - The Economic Times Video
A House committee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The motion, brought forward by Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), was approved in an 8-2 vote, with three Republicans joining Democrats in support.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
'Don't mislead the public': House panel votes to subpoena Justice Dept for Jeffrey Epstein files
A House committee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The motion, introduced by Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), passed in an 8-2 vote, with three Republicans siding with Democrats. Show more Show less
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
ICE agents under fire: Dem lawmakers push to ban mask use, demand answers from DHS
Democratic lawmakers are calling out the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the growing use of masks and unmarked vehicles by ICE agents during immigration arrests. Reps. Robert Garcia and Summer Lee have sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, raising alarm over potential constitutional violations. Show more 08:21 06:47 09:26 08:02 03:12 03:15 14:22 02:27 04:04 03:22 04:24 03:06 02:34 02:01 02:32 03:00 03:27 10:26 06:37 05:16 03:13 02:27 08:03 03:01 03:32 03:46 03:51 04:01 04:49 03:09
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Democratic lawmakers seek answers from homeland security head about masked Ice agents
Democratic members of Congress are pressing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reveal information about immigration officers' practice of wearing masks and concealing their identities, according to a letter viewed by the Guardian. The letter marks another step in pushes by US lawmakers to require immigration officials to identify themselves during arrest operations, especially when agents are masked, a practice that has sparked outrage among civil rights groups. Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the powerful committee on oversight and government reform, along with Representative Summer Lee, wrote to the secretary of the DHS, Kristi Noem, pressing for 'memoranda, directives, guidance, communications' regarding immigration officers' use of masks and unmarked cars for immigration operations. 'For every person within the United States, the Fourth Amendment guarantees protection from unreasonable searches and seizures and the Fifth Amendment guarantees a right to due process under the law,' the pair wrote. 'In direct violation of these principles, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has allowed its agents – primarily from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) – to conceal their identities and use unmarked vehicles while conducting immigration enforcement activities.' In recent months, as the Trump administration has escalated immigration enforcement operations, arrests, detention and deportations, the DHS and Ice have been relentlessly criticized for their agents' use of masks and unmarked cars. The two Democrats mention a number of examples, from the past few months under the Trump administration, in which immigration officials have hidden their identities while conducting immigration arrests and operations. They also mention a recent example, originally reported by the Intercept, in which two immigration judges in New York concealed the identities of government attorneys pushing to deport people. 'This causes a dangerous erosion of public trust, due process, and transparency in law enforcement,' Garcia and Lee wrote. 'These tactics contradict longstanding democratic principles such as the public's right to accountability from those who enforce the law and pave the way for increased crime, making our communities less safe.' As the Guardian previously reported, there have been a rising number of people capitalizing on the anonymity of immigration officials. In a number of cases, criminals have impersonated DHS officers in order to rob or kidnap people or – in one case – sexually assault someone. The use of masks by immigration officials 'makes it nearly impossible for individuals to determine whether they are being detained by legitimate law enforcement agents or unlawfully abducted', the representatives warn. Garcia and Lee list a number of national examples, including one from Florida from April, in which a woman wore a shirt reading 'Ice' and used a handheld radio 'to kidnap her ex-boyfriend's wife, threatening her until she managed to escape'. In another case, the representatives mention a California instance in which teenagers impersonated Ice officers, approached Hispanic victims in a vehicle, showed them fake badges and robbed them. 'These cases starkly illustrate how the use of masks, unmarked vehicles, and minimal identification by actual Ice agents does not just erode trust – it effectively hands bad actors a roadmap to exploit vulnerable communities,' the representatives wrote. The arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student in Massachusetts, marked an inflection point for these types of arrests and operations under the Trump administration. Video footage showed Öztürk arrested by plainclothes, masked immigration officers, causing widespread alarm at the practice. Although the practice of Ice officers wearing masks is not particularly new, the practice has escalated under Trump. Immigration officers do not typically wear official uniforms – like local police officers do – unless they are conducting large or potentially dangerous arrests and operations. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13, criminal rings, murderers, and rapists,' the DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement to the Guardian. She added that 'attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement' is contributing to a rise in assaults against them. A number of lawmakers at the local and federal level have called for Ice to require enforcement officers to display visible identification during arrests. Senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla introduced a bill earlier this month that would require immigration officers to 'display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number' during operations, and co-wrote a letter to Ice expressing concern with the practice. House members also introduced a similar bill, requiring Ice officers to display clear identification. And an increasing number of states, including California, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have also introduced local legislation that would require federal officers to display visible identification, with exceptions for safety or undercover purposes. This month, the head of Ice, Todd Lyons, defended the practice of agents wearing masks, saying: 'If that's a tool that the men and women of Ice to keep themselves and their family safe, then I will allow it.' Lyons said that Ice officers in recent months have faced a rising number of attacks and doxing threats. Experts warn that masked officers may not only erode trust in law enforcement agencies, but can also allow officers to escape accountability. Now that Trump's huge spending bill has passed, the administration is preparing to increase the number of officers and the amount of resources for immigration arrests and deportations, to fulfill its goal of deporting 1 million people each year.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
House panel approves subpoena of DOJ for Epstein files
A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on Wednesday approved several subpoenas, including one directing the Department of Justice to turn over materials relating to the Epstein files. The federal law enforcement subcommittee also approved a motion to subpoena several high-profile Democratic officials, including former President Clinton, for their testimony. The panel approved the Epstein motion, offered by Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), in an 8-2 vote, with Republican Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.) and Brian Jack (Ga.) joining Democrats in favor. Lee's motion called for the 'full, complete, unredacted Epstein files to be delivered concurrently to the majority and minority.' 'Today, Oversight Democrats fought for transparency and accountability on the Epstein files and won. House Republicans didn't make it easy, but the motion was finally passed to force the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files,' Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement. 'Let's be clear: this is a huge win for the American people. The public deserves to know who was complicit in Epstein's heinous crimes, including people with immense power in our government. Today's vote was just the first step toward accountability, and we will continue pushing for the truth.' An amendment to Lee's motion from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to include the release of all communications between President Biden or Biden administration officials and the Department of Justice related to Jeffrey Epstein was adopted by voice vote. And an amendment from Mace to redact the names of victims and any personally identifiable information of victims, as well as any possible material depicting child abuse, was also adopted by voice vote. The committee also approved by voice vote a motion from Perry to 'expand the full committee's investigation' into the Epstein matter by also issuing subpoenas to a number of high-profile former Democratic officials: Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller. Perry's motion also called to subpoena three former GOP officials: Attorney General Bill Barr and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who served under President Trump; and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was appointed by former President George W. Bush. The motions for subpoenas come after the full Oversight Committee on Tuesday approved a subpoena for Epstein's former associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is in prison for aiding Epstein in child sex trafficking. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) officially issued that subpoena on Wednesday. The flurry of subpoenas comes as House GOP leaders moved to send members home for August recess a day early after disputes about the Epstein matter — and an unwillingness to face Democratic votes trying to squeeze Republicans on the Epstein issue in the House Rules Committee — stymied the House. But Democrats are seeing success in getting Republican support for their Epstein-related amendments in the Oversight panel. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
