Schumer: ICE Is “A Rogue Agency,” “It Looks Like They’re Trained To Be Nasty And Cruel” | Video

JAKE TAPPER, CNN: So let’s talk about where negotiations stand right now. President Trump told reporters that he’s talking with Democrats and that — quote — “I know what they want. I know what they can live with” — unquote.

Are you willing to accept anything less than the White House agreeing to all 10 of your demands to rein in ICE and fire Secretary Noem, or is it all or nothing?

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Look, the bottom line is we have three basic objectives to rein in ICE and end the violence.

First, no more of these roving patrols. You can’t just go to someone’s House, bash in their door without a warrant. You can’t indiscriminately grab someone off the streets and arrest them. What we’re proposing is that that stop.

We’re also proposing that ICE agents can’t go to certain special places, churches, schools, polling places. We’re saying that they should end racial discrimination and not just pick someone up on the basis of what they look like. And we are proposing that the ICE be monitored carefully as well.

The second area is accountability. They have to coordinate with local governments. They don’t do that now. They just show up in an area that may be perfectly safe and fine. We need a code of use of force. Every police department across the country has one.

But you look at the videos here and you see them just beating the daylights out of people. It’s just — it’s not America. And, finally, and maybe most important, no secret police. No police department in America doesn’t identify themselves. But these guys wear masks. They don’t have cameras. We need masks off. We need cameras on.

And we need every police — every ICE officer to be identified. Jake, these are commonsense proposals. They’re supported by the American people. Why won’t Republicans go for them? They don’t give any good answers. It’s something that every police department does across the country. But ICE is rogue, out of control.

TAPPER: Republicans say that there is a standard of force when it comes to ICE and CBP. And they also say, in terms of unmasking, that that will expose the ICE agents and CBP agents and their families to doxxing and threats to their safety.

SCHUMER: Yes, look, that’s — look, just look at every police department across the country. They don’t walk around in masks. They don’t walk around unidentified. Every police department is identified. In New York City, you see the name right on the breastplate, and the police are fine with that.

So that makes no sense what they’re saying. And all we’re asking is that they follow what police departments do across the country. ICE is rogue. The American people when they have seen these videos recoil. They say, this is not America. And why — Republicans — why aren’t Republicans agreeing with that? It makes no sense.

TAPPER: Well, what if they are going after the cartels? I understand with the roving patrols and such that you’re talking about, but if in specific targeted instances, if ICE agents are going after criminals, violent criminals, members of the cartels or whatever — and you’ll acknowledge that some, maybe a minority, but some of the people being picked up are that.

There certainly is an understandable concern about an ICE agent’s safety in that instance, no?

SCHUMER: Look, every other police department in America is unmasked. ICE can do the same. This is a rogue force. They’re almost trained, it looks like, to be nasty and mean and cruel and go way beyond what ordinary police departments do.

So they need to be reined in. They need to stop the violence. And the question that Americans are asking is, why aren’t Republicans going along with these commonsense proposals? They’re not crazy. They’re not way out. They’re what every police department in America does.

TAPPER: So your fellow Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who voted against shutting down the government, he pointed out that — quote — “This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE functionality. Democracy demands a way forward to reform ICE without damaging our critical national security agencies” — unquote. And it is true that CBP and ICE are fully funded this year, and you’re

using the funding of other parts of DHS, such as the Coast Guard or TSA, as leverage. And in the meantime, ICE can keep doing whatever it wants to do. So the question would be, how does the shutdown do anything to accomplish the goal of reining in Trump’s immigration crackdown if ICE and CBP are not necessarily directly affected?

SCHUMER: Well, two points.

First, we have proposed that the guardrails that will be applied to ICE are applied not just to the present funding, but to the previous funding that was in the big bad bill. That’s very important to us. So that will rein in all of the ICE agents, no matter where they’re funded.

But, second, there’s a simple answer to this. Republicans, go along with this commonsense — these commonsense proposals and we will fund the whole DHS bill, the whole Department of Homeland Security bill. Just go along.

Again, I cannot repeat enough, these are common sense. Police departments across America use them. We have a rogue agency. Why don’t we rein them in? That’s what the American people are asking Republicans. And that’s why they’re going to have to go along with us. And I believe — I believe they’ll have no choice but to go along with us because it’s so commonsense and so much supported by the American people.

TAPPER: Yes.

SCHUMER: They’re losing support every day by not supporting these commonsense proposals.