Senator Gallego Voices Concerns Over Potential ICE Expansion in Phoenix
In light of recent reports suggesting an increase in immigration enforcement agents in Phoenix, Senator Ruben Gallego has expressed concern about potential racial profiling and urged residents of Arizona to be on alert.
While the specifics of ICE’s potential plans remain unclear, Gallego mentioned that his office is seeking additional information following a report by the Bulwark, which indicated a possible escalation of ICE activities in Phoenix, similar to those in Democratic strongholds like Chicago and Los Angeles.
“We have reached out to get more information,” Gallego stated on Friday, acknowledging the likelihood of future developments.
The atmosphere has been tense, with protests erupting in Arizona and other cities nationwide after a Minneapolis incident where an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen.
Highlighting the broader implications, Gallego criticized ICE for overstepping its immigration enforcement role. “Anything that involves law enforcement has to have a certain amount of responsibility when it comes to how you deal with the public, and what we saw in Minnesota was not a good example,” he commented. “There needs to be reforms to ICE.”
NPR has reported that President Donald Trump and his administration have defended the agent’s actions, citing self-defense. Meanwhile, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has accused the administration of compromising the investigation by pre-emptively determining its outcome. The FBI is no longer collaborating with state-level law enforcement in the investigation.
Gallego has also raised allegations of racial profiling by ICE. “How ICE is being used is not to go after criminals. It’s to do racial profiling. It’s to intimidate the local population,” he asserted.
Should ICE increase its presence in Phoenix, Gallego advises protestors to stay peaceful and protect themselves, recommending they carry identification like IDs or passports. “Because they are not afraid to detain us citizens for as long as they can,” he warned. “We in this office are gonna do everything we can to hold them accountable, to stop their goonish natures and to protect the people of Arizona.”
Gallego is exploring measures to curb the agency’s operations, including supporting legislation by Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut aimed at reforming the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent organization. Axios reported that the proposed legislation would introduce several reforms, such as mandating warrants for arrests and prohibiting agents from wearing masks during operations.
