Blumenthal Opens Inquiry into Abusive & Unlawful ICE Tactics

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons today seeking information “regarding the training and compensation ICE agents are receiving as it relates to how they are constitutionally fulfilling their duties.” In the wake of recent reports about ICE’s aggressive use of force and violations of violations of people’s rights, Blumenthal is opening an inquiry into ICE’s tactics.

In his letter to Lyons, Blumenthal highlighted the illegal and violent detentions of numerous people by ICE – including U.S. citizens, “In Los Angeles, ICE agents detained and shoved a pregnant U.S. citizen whom they falsely charged with assaulting an officer, a charge the U.S. attorney was forced to drop given video evidence contradicting this assertion as well as simple physics (the woman in question was 4’11 and 38 weeks pregnant). In New York, ICE agents detained a Latino U.S. citizen because he ‘looked like’ someone for whom they were searching. And a Chicago lawsuit alleges that, during their activities there, ICE agents violated the rights of 22 people, including at least one U.S. citizen.”

Blumenthal continued, “These examples and statistics also raise questions about both ICE’s disproportionate use of force and whether there are potentially questionable incentives for ICE agents to increase the number of arrests. As to the use of force, an analysis of over a dozen immigration raids in Los Angeles area by The Intercept found that ICE agents allegedly consistently aimed firearms and sprayed chemical irritants at onlookers and protesters, launched tear gas and flash bang grenades into crowds, and beat the people they detained.”

Blumenthal also raised concerns about ICE brazenly threatening Connecticut State Representative Corey Paris with prosecution for informing his constituents that he had learned of immigration enforcement efforts in his district and urging residents to prioritize their safety, “Unfortunately, Representative Paris’s experience is merely one instance of ICE agents seemingly acting as a police state strike force, threatening lawmakers and detaining citizens with hardly a shred of justification and then potentially fabricating allegations after the fact to justify their unlawful actions.” 

In addition to demanding answers about the training and incentives currently provided to ICE agents regarding their interactions with U.S. citizens, Blumenthal is seeking information about ICE’s actions towards Representative Paris.

Blumenthal’s letter to ICE is available here and below.

August 26, 2025

VIA EMAIL

Todd M. Lyons

Acting Director

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

500 12th St SW

Washington, DC 20536

Dear Mr. Lyons:

I write today regarding deeply troubling reports of violence, excessive use of force, and the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These actions may not only violate the law, they also make our communities less safe. I fear that my Republican colleagues’ recent decision to drastically increase ICE’s funding will only embolden this reported lawlessness. Pursuant to Senate Resolution 59 (118th Cong.) and Rule 1 of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“PSI” or “the Subcommittee”), I write to request information and records regarding the training and compensation ICE agents are receiving relating to how they are constitutionally fulfilling their duties.

Last week, Connecticut State Representative Corey Paris was brazenly threatened with criminal prosecution merely for trying to keep his constituents safe. In an Instagram post on Friday, August 15, Representative Paris informed residents that he had learned of immigration enforcement efforts in his district and wanted to warn those residents to “remain vigilant, stay aware of your surroundings and, above all, prioritize your safety.”^[1] In response to this warning, he was accused by a right-wing social medial account of sharing detailed information about ICE’s location and helping individuals illegally in the United States evade arrest.^[2]

What happened next was an outrageous abuse of power and public trust. ICE reposted these barefaced lies along with a request to the Justice Department: “charge him.”^[3] Any possible charge against Representative Paris was left unexplained. He had committed no crime. In fact, he had done nothing wrong. He was patently engaging in constitutionally protected speech. Nevertheless, these actions led to multiple threats against Representative Paris’s life and those of his relatives.^[4] Unfortunately, Representative Paris’s experience is merely one instance of ICE agents seemingly acting as a police state strike force, threatening lawmakers and detaining citizens with hardly a shred of justification and then potentially fabricating allegations after the fact to justify their unlawful actions.

Strong enforcement of immigration laws need not involve the type of abusive tactics used against Representative Paris and others. Most Americans who support deportation of dangerous criminals here illegally also believe in fairness and due process. They are rightly alarmed by recent nationwide reports of ICE agents’ illegal actions towards innocent individuals—including U.S. citizens. In Los Angeles, ICE agents detained and shoved a pregnant U.S. citizen whom they falsely charged with assaulting an officer, a charge the U.S. attorney was forced to drop given video evidence contradicting this assertion as well as simple physics (the woman in question was 4’11 and 38 weeks pregnant).^[5] In New York, ICE agents detained a Latino U.S. citizen because he “looked like” someone for whom they were searching.^[6] And a Chicago lawsuit alleges that, during their activities there, ICE agents violated the rights of 22 people, including at least one U.S. citizen.^[7] Indeed, despite your repeated pronouncements that ICE is focused on removing “public safety and national security threats from our communities,”^[8] the data shows that 60% of the nearly 112,000 arrests by ICE from January 20 through late June were of individuals who had not been convicted of any crime,^[9] and the Cato Institute found that ICE is arresting 1,100% more noncriminals on the streets than in 2017.^[10]

These examples and statistics also raise questions about both ICE’s disproportionate use of force and whether there are potentially questionable incentives for ICE agents to increase the number of arrests. As to the use of force, an analysis of over a dozen immigration raids in Los Angeles area by The Intercept found that ICE agents allegedly consistently aimed firearms and sprayed chemical irritants at onlookers and protesters, launched tear gas and flash bang grenades into crowds, and beat the people they detained.^[11] ICE’s unprecedented increase in arrests of noncriminals may also be partially explained by perverse incentives, as a detained high-school student stated that he heard agents celebrating the $1,500 payment they would receive for his arrest.^[12]

To assist the Subcommittee’s understanding of the training and incentives currently provided to ICE agents regarding their interactions with U.S. citizens, as well as ICE’s actions towards Representative Paris, please provide the following information to the Subcommittee by September 9, 2025:

1. Please provide a detailed description of any incentives, including compensation, promotion, and other benefits, offered to ICE agents for arresting certain individuals or making a certain number of arrests;
2. Please provide a list of all U.S. citizens that have been detained by ICE agents from January 21, 2025, to the present, including where they have been detained and the length of their detention;
3. Please provide a detailed description regarding training ICE agents receive concerning the use of force; and
4. Please identify the ICE employee(s) responsible for maintaining ICE’s account on X, @ICEgov, on August 15, 2025 and August 16, 2025.

In addition, please provide the Subcommittee with the following records^[13] by September 9, 2025, and any subsequently produced records responsive to these requests on a bi-weekly basis thereafter:

1. All records related to the detention of U.S. citizens by ICE agents from January 21, 2025 to the present;
2. All policies or procedures regarding the steps ICE agents are required to take to identify whether individuals are U.S. citizens;
3. All policies and procedures regarding the use of force by ICE agents, including but not limited to:
1. records regarding any training ICE agents receive concerning the use of force; and
2. policies and procedures regarding the use of force against individuals who are observing ICE activities and not the targets of immigration enforcement.

4. All records related to the decision to repost a request that the Department of Justice charge Representative Paris, including but not limited to:
1. communications^[14] regarding the decision to repost this request; and
2. any policies or procedures regarding posts and reposts on ICE social media accounts.

Please contact the Subcommittee should you have any questions about responding to these requests. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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