Congressman Torres’s Record on ICE and Immigration Abuses from the Trump Administration

●      https://www.amny.com/politics/bronx-ritchie-torres-ice-agents-qr-codes/

●      Rep. Torres is introducing the Quick Recognition Act to address the growing use of masked, unidentified federal officers during immigration enforcement operations. The bill requires ICE and CBP officers engaged in enforcement to wear a visible, scannable QR code on their uniform. When scanned, the code links to an official DHS verification page displaying the officer’s name, badge number, agency, and

active-duty status, along with a public portal for submitting complaints. The system alsopublishes aggregated complaint data to improve transparency.

●      https://robinkelly.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-kelly-introduces-articles-impeachment-again st-secretary-noem

●      Rep. Torres is a cosponsor of articles of impeachment introduced against Secretary Kristi Noem, citing obstruction of congressional oversight, constitutional violations, warrantlessarrests, excessive force, and misuse of taxpayer funds. The articles argue that DHS leadership has operated in defiance of oversight and legal constraints, including blocking Members of Congress from inspecting facilities used to detain immigrants.

●      https://ritchietorres.house.gov/posts/rep-ritchie-torres-demands-answers-from-dhs-ice-on-detention-of-hig   h-school-student-and-ny-15-constituent

●      https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/28/ritchie-torres-demands-answers-ice-arrest-venezuelan-st  udent/

●      Rep. Torres intervened publicly on behalf of Dylan, a 20-year-old Bronx public school studentwho entered the United States legally through a humanitarian parole program, enrolled in school full-time, obtained work authorization, held a job, and had no criminal record. ICE detained Dylan immediately after he appeared for a routine court hearing.

●      Rep. Torres wrote directly to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE demanding to know the justification for the detention, how it served public safety, where Dylan was being held, andwhether his legal rights were being respected. He warned that courthouse arrests of law-abiding individuals would deter families from attending court, discourage students fromshowing up to school, and erode trust in public institutions.

●      He was the first federal elected official to publicly intervene in Dylan’s case.

●      https://ritchietorres.house.gov/posts/statement-from-congressman-torres-concerning-the-imminent-deport  ation-of-javier-castillo-maradiaga

●      https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/nyregion/daca-ice-nyc-immigration.html

●      Rep. Torres described ICE as a “soulless deportation machine that separates families and savages communities without regard for the human cost.”

●      https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/nyregion/ny-democrats-access-26-federal-plaza-noem.html

●      Rep. Torres joined eight other members from New York in demanding access to ICE’s facility onthe 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan after reports emerged that detainees were being held for multiple days in overcrowded conditions, sleeping on floors and benches in a space not designed for overnight detention. The members were denied entry despite federallaw granting them the right to inspect facilities used to detain immigrants. ICE officials attempted to argue that the space was merely a “processing facility,” even while acknowledging that detainees were being held there for days.

●      https://ritchietorres.house.gov/posts/reps–ritchie–torres–and–adriano–espaillat–lead–37–dems–calling–on–dhs–ig–to–investigate–conditions–in–louisiana–ice–facilities

●      Alongside Rep. Adriano Espalliat and 37 House Democrats, Rep. Torres requested an immediate investigation by the DHS Office of Inspector General into reports of systemicabuse, medical neglect, denial of legal access, expedited deportations without review, and other due process violations at detention facilities in Louisiana.

●      https://x.com/RepRitchie/status/1909987793675173902

●      Rep. Torres spoke out forcefully against the deportation of Andry José Hernández Romero, anopenly gay Venezuelan asylum seeker who entered the United States lawfully through the CBP One appointment process, passed a credible fear interview, and had no criminal record. ICE removed him from the United States and transferred him to CECOT, El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, without due process. For more than a month, his family and lawyers had no contact with him, and his mother did not even know whether he was alive.

●      https://www.schiff.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/letter-to-sec-rubio-on-andry-jose-hernandez-r omero.pdf

●      Rep. Torres joined a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding an immediatewellness check, access to legal counsel, and action to secure Andry’s release. The letterstated clearly that the U.S. government provided no evidence of criminal conduct and bears responsibility for his imprisonment abroad.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4176

●      Rep. Torres is a cosponsor of legislation requiring DHS officers engaged in immigration enforcement to clearly display identification and agency affiliation and prohibiting the use of face coverings designed to conceal identity during arrests and detentions. The bill is aimeddirectly at the rise of anonymous, masked enforcement tactics that have been used to intimidate communities and evade accountability.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4667

●      https://x.com/RepYassAnsari/status/2011468088038879315

●      Rep. Torres will cosponsor Rep. Yassamin Ansari’s legislation to roll back massive funding increases that were used to expand aggressive ICE operations and enforcement capacity. The bill is intended to reassert congressional control over ICE funding and limit the agency’s ability to operate as an unaccountable enforcement apparatus.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6397

●      Rep. Torres cosponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, a bill that would establish enforceable standards and oversight mechanisms for immigration detention facilities operated by the Department of Homeland Security. The legislation seeks to improve conditions, ensure regular inspections, and require transparent reporting for all facilities where individuals are heldin DHS custody. It reflects a broader effort to treat detained immigrants with dignity and prevent the kinds of unsafe, prolonged, and unmonitored detention conditions that have drawn criticism nationwide.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5973

●      Rep. Torres will co-sponsor legislation that would place enforceable limits on the use offorce by immigration enforcement personnel. The bill would:

○      Restrict the use of militarized equipment such as tear gas, flash bangs, and pepper ballmunitions

○      Require force to be used only when no reasonable alternative exists

○      Mandate de-escalation practices and proportionality standards

○      Require body cameras for personnel engaged in enforcement

○      Limit masking and require identifiable uniforms

○      Increase transparency around enforcement conduct

●      The legislation is aimed directly at the pattern of excessive force and lack ofaccountability that has increasingly characterized federal immigration operations.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6521

●      Rep. Torres cosponsored the Immigration Court Due Process Protection Act of 2025, legislationthat would restrict the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to arrest or detainindividuals in or around immigration courts while they are attending or participating in legal proceedings, unless a judge has specifically authorized such action. The bill is intended toprotect access to the immigration court system and ensure that enforcement activity does notdeter immigrants from appearing in court, exercising their rights, or pursuing legal relief.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1589

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5333

●      Creates a pathway to lawful permanent resident status for undocumented workers who assisted in the rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts following the September 11 attacks. Thebill includes confidentiality protections to ensure that information provided by applicants cannotbe used for immigration enforcement purposes.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3763

●      Removes employment-based visa caps for abused, abandoned, or neglected immigrant children eligible for humanitarian relief. The legislation aims to prevent children who have already experienced trauma from being left in prolonged legal limbo and at heightened risk of enforcement.

●      https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3368

●      Prohibits the use of federal funds to carry out executive actions that would deny birthrightcitizenship to children born in the United States, reinforcing longstanding constitutional protections and preventing future attempts to undermine the Fourteenth Amendmentthrough administrative action.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Delia Ramirez in calling on the House Judiciary Committee to fulfill itsoversight obligation and conduct a thorough investigation into Secretary Noem’s allegedunlawful and potentially impeachable actions.

●      Rep. Torres joined Reps. Jamie Raskin, Bennie Thompson, and Pramila Jayapal in requesting transparency and accountability from DHS and ICE following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good inMinneapolis.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Rob Menendez in raising concerns regarding conditions and oversight failures at immigration detention facilities and requested information on compliance,accountability, and standards of care.

●      Rep. Torres joined Reps. Dan Goldman and Bennie Thompson in condemning ICE enforcement actions at immigration courts, where masked, plainclothes officers detain immigrants immediately after DHS attorneys dismiss their cases. The letter calls for suspension of these actions and requests detailed responses regarding guidance, scope, and use of masks.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Juan Vargas in raising alarm over racial profiling in immigrationenforcement, citing public statements by senior officials and ICE data showing large-scale street arrests of individuals with no criminal history and disproportionate targeting of Latinos.

●      Rep. Torres joined Sen. Warren in expressing grave concern over reports that U.S. citizens have been wrongfully detained, held in immigration detention facilities, subjected to force, ordeported. The letter requests DHS internal oversight bodies investigate these incidents and compliance with ICE policy regarding citizenship claims.

●      Alongside Congressional Hispanic Caucus colleagues, Rep. Torres raised concerns about ICE directives affecting parents of minor children and the due process and family unity implications of such policies.

●      Alongside Congressional Hispanic Caucus colleagues, Rep. Torres condemned the forceful restraint of Senator Padilla and raised concerns regarding abuse of authority and threats to democratic norms.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Pablo José Hernández in requesting official confirmation of the custodystatus and location of Ms. Aracelis Terrero-Mota following her detention by CBP in Puerto Rico and subsequent transfer to ICE custody.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Delia Ramirez in condemning DHS and ICE for disregarding legal and humanitarian protections afforded to DACA recipients and warned against misuse of immigration authorities to destabilize families and undermine trust in government.

●      Rep. Torres joined leaders of the CHC, CBC, CAPAC, and DWC in opposing DHS’s proposed rule rescinding the 2022 public charge regulations. The comment urges DHS to withdraw the rule and preserve longstanding statutory protections consistent with congressional intent.

●      Rep. Torres joined Reps. Wasserman Schultz, Darren Soto, and Gregory Meeks in urging restoration of TPS for Venezuelans in light of escalating violence, political repression, and regional instability.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Stacey Plaskett in requesting DHS immediately extend TPS for Haitians beyond the February 3, 2026 expiration date, citing catastrophic conditions stemming fromgovernmental collapse and Hurricane Melissa, as well as humanitarian and national security concerns.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Bobby Scott in raising concerns about the impact of immigrationenforcement on student safety and well-being and requested information on steps being taken to ensure schools can adequately support affected students.

●      Alongside Congressional Hispanic Caucus colleagues, Rep. Torres condemned reports that the administration is offering payments to unaccompanied migrant children in exchange for agreeingto depart the United States, calling the practice coercive and raising serious legal, ethical, and constitutional concerns.

●      Rep. Torres joined Senator Ron Wyden and Rep. Adriano Espaillat in alerting Democratic governors to ICE’s access to state DMV data and raising civil liberties and privacy concerns.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in raising alarm over the sharing of Medicaid enrollee data with DHS and its chilling effect on access to health care.

●      Rep. Torres joined Rep. Nydia Velázquez in urging passage of the New York for All Act to prevent state and local resources from being used to support federal immigration enforcement while preserving criminal law enforcement authority and protecting due process for all New Yorkers.