Pocan Charges ICE Is “Running Rogue”
Agency has greatly overstated crimes committed by detainees, his office found.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan speaks about a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a press conference on Monday, March 11, 2019 in Madison. Laurel White/WPR.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said Monday the federal government overstated the number of people with criminal histories who were arrested during a statewide U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid last September.
In October, Pocan said he first requested the federal department share information about the criminal histories of the 83 individuals apprehended. He received that information last month.
Shortly after the arrests, ICE issued a statement saying more than half of the individuals arrested had prior criminal histories.
Pocan said his office identified six driving under the influence charges, two sex offenses, one assault, one battery and other charges, including traffic offenses and prostitution.
“What you’re not going to see is human trafficking. What you’re not going to see is drug dealing. What you’re not going to see is MS-13 or gang activity, that we hear over and over about,” he said.
Pocan argued President Donald Trump was largely to blame for the agency’s “reprehensible” action.
“This is an agency that is running rogue under the direction of this president,” Pocan said. “He is using it as his police force, his personal police force in order to justify a wall and I find this reprehensible.”
ICE did not immediately return a request for comment.
Listen to the WPR report here.
Federal Government Overstated Criminal Histories Of Those Arrested In ICE Raid, Pocan Says was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
In our polarized times, Congressman Pocan will inevitably and falsely be accused of wanting “open borders” with criminals flooding in, and he will be attacked for criticizing ICE, which has now been elevated to “hero” status on the political right. In a period of rapid change, it is hard to keep events in perspective, or depending on your news source, to even know that they are occurring. Here are four quotes worth considering as we live through these times:
“We should always beware that what now lies in the past once lay in the future.” T.W. Maitland
“Experience teaches that the masses must be given for all difficult and complicated processes a simple easily grasped explanation. According to what I know of history, I see that mankind could never do without scapegoats.” Gletkin, the jailor, in “Darkness at Noon” by Arthur Koestler
“All arrogance will reap a harvest rich in tears. God calls men to a heavy reckoning for overweening pride” Herodotus
“I love to get even. Go for the jugular. Attack them in spades…If they screw you, screw them back 10 times as hard.” Donald Trump
There is always a continuum. Today, among the 40%, there is one that extends from the out-and-out fascists and neo-Nazis who actively support what is happening to those who are just indifferent to people who don’t look or think just like them and are willing to go along with the program. Depending on their age and how things turn out, a lot of people are going to have to answer the question: So what did you do when the country sank into extraordinary corruption, pathological lying and cruelty?
We know that Congressman Pocan will be able to say that he spoke out against it.