Congress is investigating cases of U.S. citizens detained in immigration raids

0:00I have all the proof to prove I'm a citizen. My license plate is a disabled veteran. I have a sticker on my windshield that says Iraq combat veteran. My ID says veteran on it. And so I let them know I could provide proof I'm a citizen. They didn't care. That's George Redis describing the moment immigration agents arrested him despite his being a U.S. citizen. Redis was on his way into work as a security guard at a cannabis farm north of Los Angeles. Immigration agents were conducting a raid at the farm that day. A crowd of protesters had gathered, and a line of agents had blocked the road leading to the farm.

0:33They forced Redis to reverse his car. Then they tried to disperse the protest. They threw tear gas behind my car, and they just engulfed my car in tear gas and smoke. I wasn't able to see in general. My eyes were watery. I was coughing. I couldn't catch my breath. Redis said he was trapped in his car as agents approached it, shouting at him, and broke his driver's side window. An agent sticks his arm through, and Pepper sprays me in the face. No questions. And they drag me out of the car and I basically go into a ragdoll, let them do whatever they want. I'm not trying to fight. I'm not trying to resist.

1:04The Department of Homeland Security later said Redis was arrested because he became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement. Here's what Redis says. It's a complete lie. He was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles. He spent three days there. I asked for a lawyer. I asked for a phone call. They just completely ignore it. Despite DHS's claims that Redis was violent, he was never charged with a crime. Redis is one of at least 170 U.S. citizens who have been arrested or detained by immigration agents since President Trump took office, according to a recent ProPublica report.

1:39And PR has not independently confirmed that tally. Many of these citizens, like Redis, have been picked up in the chaos of protests against immigration operations. Others have been rounded up by roving immigration agents out looking for people they suspect are in the country illegally, fueling allegations that they are racially profiling Latinos. Consider this. As the Trump administration continues its aggressive immigration crackdown targeting undocumented migrants, U.S. citizens are also being swept up. And U.S. lawmakers are taking notice.

2:13From NPR, I'm Adrian Fladillo.

2:24It's Consider This from NPR. U.S. citizens have been arrested in the Trump administration's aggressive immigration crackdown. In response, Congressman Robert Garcia and Senator Richard Blumenthal, both Democrats, have announced an investigation into these detentions. Representative Garcia is the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. When we spoke, I started by asking him what he was looking for in this investigation. Well, I think first it's pretty clear that what's happening right now is just completely outrageous. Not only are we seeing, of course, these arrests and these detentions of people that are working at car washes or hardware stores and other places.

3:03We're also seeing the people being detained that are U.S. citizens and in some cases for days without any sort of due process or access to legal representation. And so it is incredibly concerning that now anyone can be targeted. And it's very apparent that a lot of this is being done because of race or ethnicity. We have numerous questions of the administration. Why is this happening? How is this being funded? Why isn't due process and the Constitution being followed? And so it's important that we begin documenting all of this and also talking and speaking directly with those that are being detained.

3:42Well, as a member of the Democratic minority in Congress, you don't have subpoena power. So how are you going to compel the Trump administration to give you the information you're after, including the names of people who are citizens who've been detained? Look, obviously, I think being in the minority does limit us, certainly on investigations and with the ability to subpoena. But that does not stop our ability and efforts to collect information, talk to witnesses, pit things on the record, ensure that we have an accounting of what's actually going on. One of the things that we're going to do, for example, is we're going to keep a very detailed record of when this is happening, where this is happening, and to ensure that we're doing our constitutional duty of oversight.

4:23This week you announced that your committee will also be launching an online ICE tracker so that people can keep track of where immigration agents are operating across the country. Attorney General Pam Bondi accused you of putting ICE agents at risk with this effort. What's your response to that? Well, first, to be clear, this is a misconduct tracker that documents civil rights violations by the administration. It includes cases where ICE has detained U.S. citizens, of course. This is not a live location tracker. This is not putting officers at risk. We're publishing records after the fact to expose any patterns of misconduct.

5:04And so it's this is not a tracking anyone or putting out officers names. This is about documenting something that's already happened. So they're creating a fake controversy. Congressman, you're launching all of these efforts, even as the Supreme Court has appeared to give the Trump administration, at least for now, broad authority to carry out its immigration operations, including by allowing agents to continue using factors like people's race and accents as they go out looking for folks they suspect of being in the country illegally. And I wonder whether you think that your investigation will actually make a difference.

5:38Absolutely. I mean, look, we're talking to folks across the country, and they want accountability. And we also need to document the violation of due process, the violation of the Constitution, the kind of inhumanity that we're seeing across the country also needs to be documented by the U.S. Congress. I think this is a way for the Senate and the House to work together on this issue. The reality is what Pam Bondi is doing and what Chrissy and Owen doing is beyond horrific. It is un-American. And most folks that you talk to, including Republicans and independents, will tell you this is not what they were expecting.

6:14And this idea that now anyone, including a United States citizen, could be detained and thrown into a detention center should concern every single person. And so I think the work ahead is going to be very important. And accountability for the future will also be critical. I've been speaking with Democratic Representative Robert Garcia of California. Congressman, thank you. Thank you. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in racial profiling are disgusting, reckless, and categorically false. She also said that anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement will face consequences.

6:55This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Michael Levitt with audio engineering from Damian Herring. It was edited by Patrick Jaron-Watananon and Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan.

7:11It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Adrian Flarevo.