Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) sharply criticized the Trump administration’s handling of immigration enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during his remarks on the Senate floor Monday, pointing to recent actions by federal agents that have endangered innocent Americans and undermined basic standards of law enforcement.
Durbin, who serves as ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, pointed to last wee’s testimony by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem before both the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Noem, who had been in the role for nearly a year without appearing before both committees, was fired by President Donald Trump shortly after the hearings.
Durbin said Noem’s testimony revealed a department that had “lost any moral compass or respect for the rule of law,” citing controversial immigration enforcement operations in cities such as Chicago.
He focused in particular on “Operation Midway Blitz,” which led to the deployment of heavily armed immigration agents into Chicago communities while failing to focus on individuals with serious criminal records. According to Durbin, only one out of every seven people detained or deported under the campaign had a serious criminal history.
“If they were batters in major league baseball and hit the ball one out of seven times, they’d be not only in the minors,” Durbin said, “they’d be out of the game.”
Durbin also cited several incidents involving civilians during immigration enforcement actions. In Chicago, he said, a resident named Marimar Martinez was shot multiple times by agents while driving to deliver donated clothing to her church. Durbin said she survived the shooting. However, he pointed out, the same could not be said for Renée Good and Alex Pretti, who were brutally shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
“These are innocent American citizens,” Durbin said, arguing that such outcomes contradict the administration’s repeated pledge to target only the “worst of the worst” offenders.
Durbin Remains Firm On Immigration Enforcement Reforms Amid DHS Shutdown
The Illinois senator called for reforms that would bring immigration enforcement practices more in line with standard policing procedures. Among the changes he outlined were requiring agents to wear visible identification, prohibiting the use of masks that conceal officers’ identities, mandating body cameras, and requiring judicial warrants before agents enter private homes.
Durbin said such measures are standard practice for state and local law enforcement across the country and help maintain public trust.
“How many state troopers or local police officers go out wearing masks with no identification?” Durbin asked. “Virtually none.”
Durbin also called out Noem for falsely labeling the aforementioned victims of immigration enforcement actions as “domestic terrorists” and for providing misleading testimony during her appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
He further criticized what he described as a costly self-promotional media campaign by Noem that reportedly spent more than $143 million on advertisements featuring the former secretary. According to Durbin, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, leading to her dismissal as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Trump has since announced that Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) will be nominated to lead the DHS. Durbin said Mullin will face tough questions during the Senate confirmation process about how he plans to reform immigration enforcement practices.
Durbin also addressed the ongoing dispute in Congress over funding for the DHS. He said Democrats have proposed passing bipartisan funding agreements for several DHS agencies while continuing negotiations on reforms related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
According to Durbin, that proposal was blocked by Senate Republicans.
He expressed hope that lawmakers could reach an agreement soon, saying Congress should restore funding for other DHS agencies while working toward reforms governing immigration enforcement operations.
