Timothy M. Kennedy

Mr. Speaker, Thanks · 18 wordsI thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congresswoman Norma Torres for convening today’s critically important Special Order hour.Thanks Mr. Speaker, Claims · 185 wordsI rise today to remember those whose lives have been cut short at the hands of Trump’s out-of-control Department of Homeland Security and to demand accountability for the families who have been left shattered. In January of this year, the killing of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by DHS personnel forever changed how Americans view this department.¹ A month later, the DHS culture of cruelty rocked our community in Buffalo, New York, the City of Good Neighbors. Nurul Amin Shah Alam was a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee who came to our country legally after fleeing persecution and violence, seeking safety for himself and his family.² He was nearly blind and spoke very little English. He couldn’t read, write, or navigate on his own. On February 19, DHS personnel abandoned him, alone, miles from his home outside of a closed coffee shop in the cold, dead of winter.³ Neither his family nor his attorney were notified of his release.⁴ There was no coordinated hand off and no plan to protect a vulnerable man. Five days later, he was found dead.⁵ His death was ruled a homicide.⁶ Positioning · 7 wordsMr. Shah Alam should be alive today, PositioningClaims · 15 wordswhich is why I introduced the DHS Release Transparency Act to prevent tragedies like this.⁷ Reasoning · 19 wordsNo family should ever have to wonder if their loved one is safe after being released from government custody. Claims · 18 wordsDHS was created in the aftermath of 9/11 for one fundamental purpose: ⁸to keep the American people safe. Positioning · 18 wordsUnder President Trump, DHS has become synonymous with fear, deadly force, cruelty, and utter disregard for human decency.Positioning Reasoning · 45 wordsOur government has a moral obligation to protect human rights, to live up to our unique role as a beacon of democracy. The Constitution does not permit government officials to act with impunity, to use violence without accountability, or to treat human life as disposable. Claims · 24 wordsTrump has turned government into a weapon, incited violence in our communities, and made fear and dehumanization the defining features of his immigration policy. Reasoning · 73 wordsWhen those in power normalize brutality, they denigrate the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom. When they abuse people in their custody, they shatter the bonds of the social contract that ties us together. When they refuse to answer for the harm they cause, they erode the core promise at the heart of the American experiment, that every person is entitled to dignity, due process, and equal justice under the law. Promise · 24 wordsUnder Democratic leadership, this body will hold DHS accountable and uphold the oath that we all take to the Nation and to the Constitution.No reason givenVague promise