Massachusetts Congressman Bill Keating has sent a letter to Homeland Security, ICE, the U.S. Attorney General and the FBI demanding answers on how last week's immigration raids were conducted and who was detained.
Keating, who represents Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Town of Plymouth, says specifics remain less than clear, and ICE has not provided the information he previously requested.
He says the administration has a responsibility to the American public to adhere to the rule of law and be transparent in its actions.
“It is also vital to understand the risks created by the administration’s decision to abandon the long-held practice of notifying local law enforcement officials ahead of enforcement actions. Masked, plain-clothed federal agents apprehending people off the street while refusing to identify themselves has caused understandable distress for those detained and the risk of harm to federal agents and local police must be taken into consideration. I join municipal elected officials in the 9th Congressional District in calling for a return to the practice of notifying local law enforcement ahead of federal actions.
Keating says everyone in the United States has a right to due process, and to know they won't be picked up off the street and disappear into the bureaucratic unaccountability that is ICE under the Trump administration.
(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
Photo: David McNew / Getty Images News / Getty Images