{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=550", "Rep. Becca Balint Calls Out DHS Lack of Accountability for Mahdawi Kidnapping", "2025-06-03", "2025", "2025-06", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Becca Balint", "B001318", "balint.house.gov", "balint", "https://balint.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "\u201cWe need answers and accountability for the illegal kidnappings, disappearances and intimidation carried out by Noem and the Trump administration. While not surprising, I\u2019m deeply disturbed that Secretary Noem not only takes no responsibility for these illegal kidnappings, she continues to take pride in them.\u201d\n\nToday, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) reacts to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) response to her inquiry on Mohsen Mahdawi\u2019s arrest and detention. Last Friday, Rep. Balint\u2019s office received the following response from Secretary Noem:\n\n\u201cThank you for your April 16, 2025, letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).\n\n\u201cThe information requested in your letter is currently the subject of active litigation. Accordingly, DHS declines to comment on such matters.\u201d\n\nIn April, in response to Mr. Mahdawi\u2019s arrest, Rep. Balint and 67 other House Democrats demanded the Administration\u2019s alleged reason for his arrest from Secretaries Rubio and Noem and received no response. On April 30th, Mr. Mahdawi was released on bail following a decision from Judge Geoffrey Crawford.\n\n\u201cWe need answers and accountability for the illegal kidnappings, disappearances and intimidation carried out by Noem and the Trump administration,\u201d said Rep. Becca Balint. \u201cWhile not surprising, I\u2019m deeply disturbed that Secretary Noem not only takes no responsibility for these illegal kidnappings, she continues to take pride in them. The fear of being ripped off the streets by masked agents when you show up to work or a citizenship appointment does not make our communities safer. I\u2019m relieved that Mr. Mahdawi has been released and was able to graduate college, but his arrest should terrify us all. Under Trump, ICE and DHS have become a means to carry out political arrests and silence those who disagree with his authoritarian agenda. I\u2019ll continue to demand accountability and justice for everyone in this country, including Mahmoud Khalil and others still being held unjustly.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=550"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8763109799474478, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}