Dear Friends, 

Last week, President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security included me in a “report” that was nothing more than attempt to intimidate and silence me. Why was I included in their report? It was for speaking out against the injustice of ICE targeting a car wash in Newington.   

They can’t silence me. I stand up for the communities I’m sworn to serve – every single day. My colleagues, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, made that list too. I was honored to stand beside them on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and send a clear message that we will not back down.

Watch Rep. Larson's video with Reps. Crockett and Jeffries here. 

Like many of you, I have been alarmed by the Trump Administration’s blatant weaponization of the federal government to go after their political enemies. Just this past week, President Trump threatened to pull broadcast licenses from media outlets he does not agree with, using FCC officials to unsuccessfully try to pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air. Over the weekend, he instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute prominent Democrats, with no evidence to back up his claims. These are the tactics of authoritarian regimes, not the United States of America.

Right here in Newington, Connecticut, masked ICE agents descended upon a car wash without notifying local officials, taking seven workers with them – including two mothers who were separated from their children. We’ve seen a car wash raided in Southington, an Afghan visa holder taken from his green card appointment in East Hartford, and residents fleeing violence in Haiti suddenly stripped of their legal status. 

These raids are not about safety. They are about fear. This must stop, and it must stop now. I will always stand with our immigrant neighbors. It was heartwarming to stand with hundreds of residents in Newington to recognize the families reeling from this raid and call for answers. 

• I’m calling on my colleagues in Congress to pass the No Secret Police Act, to require ICE agents to identify themselves and bar them from wearing masks, and the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, to prevent ICE raids at schools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of worship.  
  
• After reports that ICE detained veterans, service members, and military families, I joined with a group of House Democrats to launch a probe into the Department of Homeland Security's detention practices and policies. 
  
• Following a Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for immigration authorities make indiscriminate stops based on ethnicity, language, and other factors, I introduced the Home Together Act, which would block housing authorities from sharing home addresses, ethnicities, and other sensitive data with immigration enforcement.

I will continue to do everything I can in Congress to stand up for the due process rights of everyone in this country and protect hard-working families from the Trump Administration’s harmful policies. To follow what I’m working on both in Washington and in Connecticut, visit my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, or follow me on Instagram.     

Regards,

John B. Larson
Member of Congress