Hearings to examine criminal aliens in America.

Immigration

2025-07-22

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This Senate Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing focused on the impact of criminal aliens on communities across the United States, aiming to challenge prevailing media narratives on immigration enforcement [ 00:51:26-00:52:00 ]

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. The session featured starkly contrasting perspectives on the effectiveness and morality of current and past immigration policies, with emotional testimonies from victims and advocates [ 00:59:07 ]

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Themes

The Devastating Impact of Criminal Aliens and the Call for Strict Enforcement

The subcommittee highlighted the severe consequences of criminal aliens, emphasizing that illegal entry itself is a crime and that many individuals with final removal orders remain in the U.S. [ 00:52:15-00:52:43 ]

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[ 00:53:41-00:53:43 ]

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. Sheriff Roy Boyd reported a dramatic increase in arrests for human smuggling and organized criminal activity in Goliad County, attributing this to "open border policies" and detailing significant property damage and the rise of cartel activities like human trafficking and indentured servitude [ 01:24:02-01:24:35 ]

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[ 01:24:59-01:25:08 ]

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[ 01:27:23-01:27:49 ]

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. Victor Avila, a retired ICE agent, shared his experience with cartel violence and the criminal involvement of illegal aliens in drug and human trafficking, asserting that current enforcement challenges are politically driven [ 01:15:49-01:16:56 ]

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. Andrew Arthur noted that many ICE arrests involve individuals with criminal histories and that "sanctuary policies" impede enforcement, forcing agents into more dangerous "at-large arrests" . Both Tammy Nobles and Maria Vega delivered powerful testimonies about the murders of their children by illegal aliens, advocating for stronger enforcement and background checks to prevent future tragedies [ 01:29:37-01:29:40 ]

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[ 01:39:53-01:39:55 ]

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Critique of Indiscriminate Enforcement and Eroding Trust

Democratic members and some witnesses challenged the Trump administration's enforcement approach, arguing it is indiscriminate and harms communities. Senator Padilla stated that while Democrats would support targeting violent criminals, current actions focus on non-violent individuals, citing data that less than 10% of ICE arrestees have serious criminal convictions [ 01:02:12-01:02:43 ]

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. He described raids targeting farmers, students, and families, leading to a 500% increase in arrests of non-citizens without criminal records [ 01:03:52-01:04:20 ]

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. Alejandro Barranco shared how his father, a Marine veteran's father with no criminal record, was violently arrested by masked men without a warrant, highlighting racial profiling and inhumane detention conditions . Deborah Fleischaker, a former ICE official, criticized the quota-driven model that prioritizes volume over public safety, leading to resource diversion from genuine threats and eroding morale among officers . Dr. Giovanni Veliz, a retired police commander, emphasized that aggressive, fear-based tactics damage trust between law enforcement and immigrant communities, reducing crime reporting and jeopardizing public safety .

Political Blame and Historical Context of Immigration Policies

The hearing was marked by strong political accusations regarding responsibility for the state of border security and immigration enforcement. Senator Cornyn asserted that the laws haven't changed since the Obama administration, only the party in office, suggesting a "pro-enforcement" president is now in power [ 00:56:59-00:57:21 ]

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. Senator Padilla accused Republicans of using immigration issues as a distraction and scapegoating immigrants . Senator Moody vehemently blamed the Biden administration for intentionally dismantling border security measures, leading to chaos and a significant increase in crime, describing their actions as a "radical's wishlist" [ 02:17:06-02:17:33 ]

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. Senator Cruz accused the Biden administration of deliberately allowing an "invasion" of 12 million illegal immigrants for partisan political gain, leading to increased murders and rapes [ 02:49:30-02:50:22 ]

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. He highlighted the dramatic difference in releases under Biden compared to Trump, praising Trump's border security achievements . Senator Hirono acknowledged the broken immigration system and past bipartisan failures, noting that many undocumented individuals are visa overstays and criticizing the Trump administration's family separation policies .

Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was highly polarized and accusatory, with members from both sides of the aisle frequently blaming opposing political parties for the current state of immigration and border security [ 00:56:22 ]

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. There was a strong sense of advocacy and passion from all speakers, particularly from the witnesses who shared personal and emotional testimonies of loss and injustice, contributing a somber and empathetic undertone to their specific accounts [ 01:29:37-01:29:40 ]

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[ 01:39:53-01:39:55 ]

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. While some speakers called for constructive dialogue and bipartisan solutions, the overall discourse remained confrontational, especially during exchanges between senators and direct questioning of witnesses regarding administrative policies .

Participants

Transcript

Thanks for watching!
Patience.  Senator Padilla, who's the ranking member of the subcommittee, will be here momentarily.  We've had some uncertainty about votes on the floor of the Senate, so I appreciate your patience.   Senate Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration will come to order.  The purpose of today's hearing is to examine the devastation that criminal aliens have caused in communities across the United States.  In particular, we aim to show the American people how the realities on the ground are very different from the narrative peddled by the mainstream media.  Rather than truthfully and honestly reporting the facts,   Media outlets have spread misinformation, allowing harmful, false rhetoric to dominate the airways.  The result of these falsehoods is that radical far-left activists have taken to the street and targeted and demonized the very people who are charged with enforcing the law, laws that Congress has passed, and that would be ICE immigration enforcement officers.   The first false narrative I want to address is a claim that illegal aliens are not criminals, but law-abiding individuals.
Neither the Democrats nor the media are willing to tell the public the truth.  At the moment an alien illegally enters the United States, they have committed a crime.  A crime under the U.S.  law to enter the U.S.  legally.   America is a country of laws and we expect anyone who wishes to come to our country to obey those laws.  Another false narrative peddled by the far left is that illegal aliens are not receiving due process when they are arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  This naturally begs the question, what sort of process are these individuals actually due?   The idea that someone could break our laws, enter our country illegally, and then be entitled to all the rights and privileges of an American citizen is a little far-fetched, to be sure.  While the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution applies to all individuals within the United States, illegal aliens are not entitled to the same level of due process as American citizens.   The fact of the matter is that by the time any alien has received an order of removal, they have had all the due process they are owed under the law.  Most aliens with final orders of removal have been in the immigration system for almost a decade.  Many have had the opportunity to have their day in court, the very essence of due process, but they neglected to show up.   Another false narrative is that ICE is not targeting the worst of the worst criminals.  But the fact of the matter is that as we speak, there are 291,141 criminal aliens in the United States today who have final orders of removal.  Just this morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee, a comment was made that ICE is targeting gardeners
Well, 291,141 criminal aliens who are under final orders of removal are still in the United States.  For this fiscal year alone, 213,279 criminal aliens with final orders of removal already have convictions, while 78,546 have pending criminal charges.   Even more disturbing is the fact that 282,194 of these criminal aliens are still roaming free and not in ICE custody yet.  There are many criminal aliens in the United States continuing to commit heinous crimes, even to this day.  Some of these criminals are part of transnational criminal networks and organized gangs.   All you need to do is look at the posters in this room to see some of the worst criminals ICE has apprehended recently.  Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and sex traffickers.  One of our witnesses here today, Sheriff Roy Boyd, can attest to the types of crimes he sees, even in Goliad, the Texas county with a population of less than 8,000.   The Friday before the July 4th weekend, Sheriff Boyd's officers arrested a 29-year-old Iranian national who entered the United States illegally not once, but twice.  The first time, this criminal committed a violent, aggravated felony in Indiana.  And while he was charged for the crime, he received a suspended sentence in exchange for his removal from the United States.  But his crime spree did not end there.   Despite being deported, he returned to the United States again, illegally.  And what did he do when he came back?  He murdered a man in Galveston, Texas, a murder that was caught on video.
Thankfully, he was arrested less than 12 hours later with the murder weapon still in his possession.  This crime should never have happened.   I want to remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that there was a time in the not so distant past when they agreed that criminal aliens should be deported.  But it seems like amnesia has set in, especially because we now happen to have a president in office who's restored the rule of law and now requires enforcement of existing laws.  Recall the deporter in chief?  That would be President Obama.   And who was in charge of immigration enforcement during President Obama's term in office?  None other than Tom Holman, President Trump's current border czar.

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