Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) penned a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons, adding her voice to the growing number of liberals outraged at the arrest of an alleged domestic abuser illegal immigrant outside a Portland school.
[RELATED: Portland City Council Passes Toothless Resolution Condemning ICE…]
“It is difficult to imagine any circumstance that could justify staging enforcement activity when children are arriving to learn. Beyond the harm it causes the community at-large, these actions have caused irreparable damage to the family, who is already dealing with difficult circumstances,” said Rep. Pingree.
Pingree’s letter came in response to the arrest of a Honduran illegal immigrant last Thursday after he dropped off his child at Portland’s Gerald E. Talbot Community School.
The arrest drew significant outrage from the school’s administration and others on the left, who were upset that it took place on the access road to the school, and that ICE agents were not clearly identified and did not communicate the activity to local authorities.
In response to statements from the school’s administration, ICE revealed that the Honduran illegal immigrant had been arrested for domestic violence the previous day. They claim that agents were only forced to arrest him in public because the Portland Police Department released him back into the community rather than holding him for immigration authorities, following a city policy not to cooperate with ICE.
ICE also claimed that no children were present at the time of the arrest.
Nevertheless, Pingree said she was disgusted by federal law enforcement. She failed to acknowledge the Honduran’s prior domestic violence arrest.
Her letter demanded that ICE prepare a full report on the operation, including the agencies involved and justification for carrying it out so close to the school.
“In particular, I request a written explanation of any review or retraining that occurs from this incident; a description of the guidance used to determine whether enforcement activity at schools is absolutely necessary; and a list of protocols adapted to minimize harm done to the community to minimize harm done to the community while practicing said enforcement activity,” said Pingree.
She also demanded assurances that children would not be exposed to future enforcement activities.
It is unclear whether ICE will comply with any of Pingree’s demands.
Pingree’s letter struck a similar tone to a resolution passed unanimously by the Portland City Council on Monday.
[RELATED: Portland City Council Passes Toothless Resolution Condemning ICE…]
That resolution condemned ICE and ordered the city’s Health and Human Services and Public Safety Committee to consider making agreements to prioritize “transparency” in immigration enforcement.
