Ramirez to Mullin: “As I told your predecessor, I wouldn’t get too comfortable in that seat because you will be held accountable.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), the first member of Congress to call for former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation and impeachment, confronted DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Congresswoman Ramirez outlined how Mullin is a loyalist and a “tool” for Trump and Miller’s cruel, unlawful deportation agenda, following their orders blindly. 

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“In 71 days, you have proven to follow Trump and Miller's directions effectively, just as your predecessor did. So, let’s see if you can follow directions here. These are yes or no questions - no tantrums,” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “You understand the separation of powers; you know Congress’s role; you understand there are rules and standards you are required to follow. And still, you will disregard what you know to do Trump and Miller’s bidding and spew their garbage…You know what we call that? We call that being a tool. That’s cowardice.” 

Congresswoman Ramirez closed her time by uplifting the story of her 18-year-old constituent, Kevin Gonzalez, who died of colon cancer less than 24 hours after being reunited with his parents, who were detained by DHS. His parents were detained by CBP in Arizona while trying to cross the border to say goodbye to their son after being denied visas. 

“For every parent in this room, including Secretary Mullin and my Republican colleagues: wouldn’t you go to EVERY length to see your dying child one last time?,” asked Ramirez.

REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY:

• You have been in your new role, Secretary Mullin, for 71 days.
• In 71 days, on your watch, my office received more of the same… 
• In 71 days, you have proven to follow Trump and Miller's directions effectively, just as your predecessor did. 
• So, let’s see if you can follow directions here. These are yes or no questions - no tantrums!
• Yes or no: As a former member of the House and Senate, are you clear that Members of Congress have statutory oversight authority over federally funded detention facilities?
• Yes or no: Given Senator Andy Kim was acting within his statutory oversight authority at Delaney Hall, will you retract your comments that a Senator “probably shouldn't have been there”?
• Yes or no: Are you familiar with the ICE National Detention Standards “STANDARD 4.1 FOOD SERVICE” that establishes that food in ICE detention must be nutritious and hygienic?
• Yes or no: Given ICE’s standards and reports of decaying food confirmed by Congressional oversight, would you retract your comments dismissing detainees' concerns about rotten food as a desire for “ethnic food”?
• See, what all this shows is that
  • YOU understand the separation of powers, 
  • YOU know Congress’s role, 
  • YOU understand there are rules and standards YOU are required to follow.
• And STILL, YOU will disregard what you know to do Trump and Miller’s bidding and spew their garbage…
• You know what we call that? We call that being a tool. That’s cowardice. 
• Let me show you the impact of your cowardice. 
• Kevin Gonzalez, my 18-year-old U.S. citizen constituent with stage 4 colon cancer, wanted to see his parents one last time.
  • You rejected his parents’ visa to come say goodbye. 
  • In desperation, they came the only way they knew how: they tried to cross the border. 
  • They were detained by CBP in Arizona for a month.
• My office, the Mexican consulates, and their legal team worked tirelessly to ensure the Gonzalez family was reunited without delay. We finally succeeded. 
• Kevin died less than 24 hours after this encounter.
• For every parent in this room, including Secretary Mullin and my Republican colleagues: wouldn’t you go to EVERY length to see your dying child one last time?
• You know that rejecting visas to Kevin’s family did not protect our communities. Family separation did not make anyone safer. 
• So who benefits? I will tell you: for-profit prison corporations. 
• Profit from cruelty and pain is the point. And you are a tool for inflicting cruelty and pain. 
• We will not forget the terror ICE and DHS brought to our communities. We know the world we are building: one where no billionaires profit from our pain, we abolish ICE and end detention, and we dismantle DHS. 
• And like I told your predecessor, I wouldn’t get too comfortable in that seat because you WILL be held accountable.