{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ruben-gallego-we-need-get-bottom-what-ice-doing-arizona", "Rep. Ruben Gallego: We need to get to the bottom of what ICE is doing in Arizona", "2017-11-06", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "rubengallego.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u00ad\u2013 Today, Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) wrote to the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s (ICE) Phoenix Field Office, Enrique Lucero, requesting data and policy documents related to the agency\u2019s operations in Arizona.\u00a0 Citing the recent Motel 6 scandal and the deportation of immigrant parents who posed no danger to their communities, the letter states that ICE\u2019s actions in the state have called Lucero\u2019s leadership into question and fed demands for greater transparency regarding the agency\u2019s enforcement priorities.\u00a0 \u00a0\n\u201cWe need to get to the bottom of what ICE is doing in Arizona,\u201d said Rep. Gallego.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m demanding some very basic information about the operations of an agency that increasingly appears to be veering of out of control.\u00a0 The people of Arizona have a right to know why their tax dollars are being spent harassing hotel guests and tearing mothers from their children.\u00a0 We deserve immigration authorities who care more about keeping our communities safe than racking up high numbers of arrests and deportations.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\nThe full text of the letter is below and can be found online here.\u00a0\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\nNovember 6, 2017\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\nEnrique Lucero\nField Office Director\nEnforcement and Removal Operations\nU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\nPhoenix Field Office\n2035 N. Central Avenue\nPhoenix,\u00a0AZ,\u00a085004\n\u00a0\nDear Mr. Lucero:\u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I write to express my grave concerns regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in the Phoenix area under the Trump administration and to request detailed information about these actions, including copies of relevant policy documents.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\nThere is mounting evidence \u2013 both in terms of overall statistics and individual cases \u2013 that your agents are consistently failing to abide by sensible enforcement priorities.\u00a0 Instead of pursuing individuals who pose the greatest risk to our communities, they appear to be focused more on those immigrants who are the easiest to detain and deport, including longtime residents who check in regularly with ICE.\u00a0 This practice is alarming my constituents, wasting scarce government resources, and tearing law-abiding Arizona families apart.\u00a0 These apprehensions also raise serious questions about your commitment to considering the totality of circumstances in making decisions about individual cases and, ultimately, your leadership of the Phoenix Field Office.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to data obtained by The Arizona Republic, in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, immigration arrests in our state increased by more than 12 percent.\u00a0 Alarmingly, nearly a third of those apprehended did not have criminal records \u2013 a troubling statistic that casts doubt on your office\u2019s commitment to prioritizing public safety.\u00a0 Indeed, among those deported in recent months were parents and breadwinners like Juan Carlos Fomperosa Garcia, Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos and Marco Tulio Coss Ponce \u2013 immigrants who posed no danger to our communities and left behind young US citizen children.\u00a0 These cases have contributed to concerns that your agency is increasingly casting an indiscriminate dragnet across Arizona.\u00a0\nInstead of focusing on dangerous criminals, immigration lawyers in Phoenix report that your office is pursuing individuals who were deemed not to be priorities for removal during the Obama administration.\u00a0 I also understand that you have resumed the practice of conducting collateral arrests, detaining undocumented immigrants you happen to encounter who are not the focus of a particular operation.\u00a0\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In addition, there were reports last week in the local media of ICE agents making repeated visits to a Phoenix apartment building and questioning people outside, actions that raise the possibility that your personnel may be actively engaging in racial profiling.\u00a0 Further, in September, Motel 6 confirmed that ICE agents were soliciting lists of guests at Phoenix area hotels and conducting warrantless \u201cknock-and-talk\u201d searches of hotel rooms. \u00a0Finally, in March, the LA Times reported that ICE has begun executing arrests in the vicinity of courthouses across the country, including in Phoenix \u2013 a practice proven to deter immigrants from cooperating with law enforcement authorities.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Collectively, these incidents paint a distinct and disturbing picture of a Field Office more interested in recording a high number of apprehensions than in targeting individuals who pose a genuine threat to public safety.\u00a0 On behalf of the immigrant communities I represent and consistent with my oversight responsibilities, I therefore request the following information:\n The number of individuals apprehended to date in 2017 who are parents of US citizen children and the disposition of their cases;\n\tThe number of individuals apprehended to date in 2017 who were not convicted of a violent crime and the disposition of their cases;\n\tThe number of individuals apprehended to date in 2017 in the vicinity of sensitive locations, specifically schools, hospitals, churches, daycare facilities and courthouses;\n\tWhether and under what circumstances ICE continues to solicit guest lists at Arizona hotels; and,\n\tAny guidance or memoranda describing both your enforcement priorities and your policies related to collateral arrests.\u00a0 \u00a0\n Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.\u00a0 \u00a0\nSincerely,\nRuben Gallego\nMember of Congress\n\u00a0\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://rubengallego.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-ruben-gallego-we-need-get-bottom-what-ice-doing-arizona"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7157011423259974, "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"}