{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-andrea-salinas-leads-13-colleagues-demanding-safe-and-fair-access", "Rep. Andrea Salinas Leads 13 Colleagues in Demanding Safe and Fair Access for Journalists During Protests", "2025-11-03", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Andrea Salinas", "S001226", "salinas.house.gov", "salinas", "https://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) led 13 of her colleagues in sending a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to demand that the Trump Administration ensure journalists can freely exercise their First Amendment rights by allowing them to safely access and report on demonstrations across the country.\n\nThe letter expressed serious concerns about reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement officers engaged in \u201cextreme brutality\u201d to silence the press and granted certain press outlets preferential access to coverage based on their viewpoints.\n\nThe lawmakers pressed for clear and timely answers to their questions and called on the Trump Administration to act quickly to reaffirm its commitment to the Constitution.\n\nClick here or see below for the full letter:\n\nDear Attorney General Bondi and Secretary Noem,\n\nWe write to share our serious concerns regarding the treatment of journalists by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other Federal Law Enforcement Officers responding to First Amendment protected protest activity around the country. We seek your partnership in ensuring that journalists are able to freely exercise their First Amendment rights to provide fair and accurate coverage of these incidences \u2013 coverage which lawmakers, law enforcement, and the public rely on to monitor, understand, and respond to these events.\n\nAmid protests of the Trump Administration\u2019s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, we have heard disturbing allegations that this Administration is failing to ensure safe and equal access for reporters. In Portland, city officials have raised concerns the federal government is \u201cengaging in prohibited viewpoint discrimination\u201d by providing unequal access to social media influencers documenting the demonstrations depending on their viewpoints. In Chicago, a group of press associations and journalists is suing the Administration, alleging that federal law enforcement officers employed \u201cextreme brutality\u201d to silence the press. One journalist reported that a masked ICE agent shot a pepper ball at her car, burning her face. Federal Courts have since imposed a temporary restraining order on the Government in that case, prohibiting officers from further targeting journalists.\n\nWe hope that you share our deep commitment to the First Amendment, and ask that you respond to the following questions regarding your Agencies\u2019 policies on this matter:\n\nHave you opened any investigations into alleged targeting of the press by federal law enforcement officers? If yes, what is the status of these investigations?\n\nHave you provided any special trainings to ICE agents and other Federal Law enforcement Officers before deploying these officers to assist with crowd control at First Amendment protected demonstrations?\n\nAs protests have grown in recent months, what policies or strategies have your agencies adopted to work with the press to ensure continued safe and equal access for reporters covering these events?\n\nAs you move Federal Law Enforcement Officers around the country in response to developments at these protests, how are you coordinating between agencies to ensure consistent policies regarding protections and access for press?\n\nWe hope to partner with you to ensure that the Press is afforded the access and protections demanded by the First Amendment. We look forward to your response.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://salinas.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-andrea-salinas-leads-13-colleagues-demanding-safe-and-fair-access"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.778244972229004, "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"}