During a House Judiciary Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) spoke about the Trump Administration's encroachment on the separation of powers.
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00:00I have a unanimous consent request to enter into the record an article about a
00:07U.S. it's entitled U.S. citizen sues Department of Homeland Security following
00:12three and a half years in immigration detention. I have another article
00:19entitled Marine Veteran was among U.S. citizens detained by ICE, ACLU says.
00:25Without objection. Thank you Mr. Chairman I yield back.
00:29I've got one more U.C. request. This will be interesting to members. Just breaking news.
00:34Trump appointed federal judge blocks all deportations from Southern District of Texas
00:39under Trump's Alien Enemies Act proclamation. You know it was moved from D.C. to Texas.
00:43Without objection. And Mr. Chair I have a U.C. request as well. This is actually laying out this is
00:50setting the record straight on local involvement in federal civil immigration enforcement. The facts
00:56and the law it lays out multiple settlements because of violations of people's constitutional rights.
01:04Without objection. Thank you.
01:06Mr. Cohen.
01:07Thank you Mr. Chair. We're fiddling while Rome burns. Our country is in danger of losing the
01:16democracy that we valued for so many years. And we look forward to the 250th anniversary of our
01:22Constitution and our nation when the Constitution that James Madison drafted is being torn apart by
01:29this administration. Powers that are given to the legislature. Powers that are given to the legislature. Powers
01:33the purse in Article I to Congress are being surrendered to the executive. The ability to eliminate offices that
01:45have been funded by Congress have been given to the executive. There are checks and balances in our Constitution.
01:51Precious checks and balances that make us different from countries like authoritarian countries where the ruler is like the king and
01:59does whatever he or she wants. And we're destroying those checks and balances. Congress is supposed to
02:05check the executive. And we're not doing it. They're taking our powers. They're destroying offices that were
02:11created by Congress like the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. And the Peace Institute which
02:18was set up as an independent group. Not part of Congress. Not part of the executive. And they've gone in doge with police officers from D.C. and taken it over. And they're trying to
02:29eliminate it. And they're all other kind of offices like that they're trying to eliminate. Our country is in danger right now.
02:35And immigration is important. But if we don't have a country, immigration isn't an issue.
02:42And I'm astonished at how many people, particularly on the other side of the aisle, are surrendering their
02:47power to Trump and letting him do whatever in the hell he wants. We had a continuing resolution. There were
02:54community projects authorized by each congressperson. I think almost all had community projects in there.
03:02And we wiped them out. But Article 1 says we're in charge of the purse. And we come up and make
03:07recommendations. And rather than include them in a congressionally ordered continuing resolution, we eliminate
03:14them. That makes no sense. We have given up our Article 1 powers. And Trump is just doing whatever he wants.
03:22And we don't even question him or challenge him. I wrote a letter to Kristi Noem on February the 14th.
03:32And I have not gotten a response to it. I served with her. I should have gotten a response.
03:38I wrote her that I inquire about the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement policies,
03:42priorities and communications. And I let her know in the letter that I agree with her
03:48that we should get the worst of the worst. She called it the worst of the worst. But there have been
03:54conflicting reports on who ICE is picking up and detaining. And I appreciate her letting me know
04:00who they picked up, how many of those were child sexual abusers, homicides or rapists,
04:11where those individuals were apprehended and where they were previously in custody of another law
04:15enforcement agency. And how many went to Guantanamo Bay and whatever.
04:20I appreciate her clarifying the number of immigrants, if she would, who are the worst of the worst and
04:27those who have been convicted for murder, rape and child sexual offenses. This was on February 14.
04:32I have not heard from her. It's now two months. But she's had plenty of time to put on her cowboy
04:37britches and her cowboy hat and ride on a horse. Fortunately, not shooting any dogs on the way.
04:43She's had time to pose in front of people in prison in El Salvador,
04:48dressed as she does with a Rolex watch and looking whatever and talking, using them as a prop.
04:55But she doesn't have time to answer a congressional request to state who have they arrested and what,
05:00who are the worst of the worst and are they getting the worst of the worst. I have to presume
05:04her failure to answer is the fact that they're not getting the worst of the worst. And on CNN the
05:09other day, they showed a graph and I don't know their stats, but at least they're given stats
05:13that show that most of the people that were sent to El Salvador were not convicted of any crimes in
05:18this country, any felonies. They were not the worst of the worst. They might have had a bunch of ugly
05:23tattoos on. I don't know who they were, but they had a right to due process. And when we come into
05:29office, we take an oath to support the constitution and to support the constitution in our country against all
05:35enemies, domestic and foreign. That's not an oath we take just when it's easy.
05:41Saying that these people who are all tattooed and maybe they're members of this gang, I don't know.
05:45Nobody hardly knows. But that may not be easy in this climate, but due process is important all
05:51the time. And it's most important when it's in the worst circumstances, the most difficult
05:55circumstances. That's we have to stand up and abide by your oath. So I appreciate everybody here in
06:01uniform and thank you for what you're doing and protecting the laws of this country. The fact is
06:06our country is at risk right now and we need to stand up, support our oath and keep the powers of
06:13the Congress as they have been intended and stop this president from a coup d'etat and an authoritarian
06:20takeover. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Frye. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think the more things
06:27change, the more they stay the same, unfortunately. When I first got to Congress,