Maine Independent U.S. Senator Angus King is leading 38 Democratic Senators in calling for stronger accountability measures for ICE agents.
A letter signed by 39 Senators urges DHS to deploy body cameras, strengthen officer identification requirements, and review enforcement procedures.
The letter says the measures suggested by the Senators are intended to prevent deadly encounters involving ICE agents after two fatal shootings in Biddeford and Houston, Texas.
Senator King says he’s has been outspoken in the need for guardrails for ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) in the wake of unprofessional and unconstitutional behavior among those agencies.
The letter demands that local and state law enforcement be involved in investigations into the deadly shootings by ICE agents.
“The tragic deaths of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Durán Guerrero occurred less than a week apart and carry startling similarities,” the Senators wrote in the letter. “In both incidents, the individuals killed were not the intended immigration enforcement targets. Furthermore, both individuals were shot by DHS officials while inside a vehicle. The unnecessary loss of life in these incidents demands immediate, thorough, independent, and transparent investigations (including the full involvement of local and state law enforcement personnel) along with a comprehensive examination of enforcement protocols, training, and operational approaches necessary to prevent such tragedies.”
he letter from the 39 Senators is addressed to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Read the entire letter here.
