BIDDEFORD, ME — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (MS-2), Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-1), and Rep. Troy Carter (LA-2) for a field hearing on the killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by ICE. Below is a transcript of her remarks:
“Thank you to Ranking Member Bennie Thompson for convening this important hearing. And a huge thanks to Congresswoman Pingree for being our host, for being an advocate, and for continuing to seek justice and the truth. We are so very grateful to you. I also want to thank my colleague, Congressman Troy Carter from New Orleans, Louisiana. And Governor Mills, thank you for being with us. But my most deep gratitude for our witnesses, especially Mr. Durán Guerrero’s family. We so appreciate you being here in this time of grief, and pain, and loss. And we appreciate all of you, the community members of Biddeford and those who traveled here to make sure that we continue to shine a light on what happened here.
“This pain is being felt across the country.
“Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was a husband and a father who wanted to give his 3-year-old girl a shot at the American Dream. His cold-blooded murder at the hands of a dangerous, out-of-control ICE agent — at the hands of an abuser with a history of violence against his own family — it’s not only a tragedy for this community, it’s a despicable moral stain on our country as a whole.
“This isn’t someone ICE was looking for. This isn’t a warrant they were executing. This wasn’t a suspect. He hadn’t done anything illegal. This was a random traffic stop that quickly escalated into outright murder. All with ICE’s bodycams off. Even ICE knew that this had gone horribly wrong. Even they decided to halt all vehicular stops in the aftermath, until Trump reversed that decision… 24 hours later.
“If this can happen to Johan, it can happen to anyone. If this can happen in Biddeford, Maine, this can happen anywhere. ICE is a danger to every person in every community in which they are active if they are not held accountable. We are witnessing systematic, state-sanctioned terror inflicted on innocent people by their own government.
“And we condemn it. House Democrats condemn it. All of us across this country condemn it, except for a specific group.
“Republicans in the House and in Congress continue to fund, greenlight, and cover up for this reckless agency.
“So our job here today, together, is to shine a light on the truth. And the truth is these are not protectors of our communities, of our laws, of our borders. This is a masked, secret police force that has terrorized children, trampled on our Constitution, and wielded violence as a political weapon.
“And the truth is the American people have had enough. Enough fear. Enough terror. Enough inaction from Republicans that won’t stand up to this injustice.
“So, we thank you again for being here today. I thank the witnesses, not only for being here today but the work you do across Maine every single day for immigrant communities. And I thank you for speaking out and for sharing your stories. I’m grateful to my colleagues and to the family of Johan Sebastián for this important and urgent discussion. I yield back.”
To watch the full hearing, click HERE.
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