Congressman criticizes Minnesota ICE operation

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank, of course, our witnesses again for being here. Now, of course, over the past two months, countless brave Minnesotans have shared their stories of heartbreak and violence and terror, not just with us in this committee, but with folks across the country. Peaceful protesters are being shot in the streets. Children have been snatched from their schools, people dragged from their cars and tackled at work. And we know that parents, of course, have been missing work, and children have been missing school. Now, Reverend Tollgaard, I want the country to really understand the effects on kids. Are you seeing families who can't go to work, who can't go grocery shopping, and who can't take their kids to school or the library or the park because they're terrified to leave their home? Are you seeing that? Yes, that's what we are seeing in Minnesota. And this includes, of course, US citizens, right? We're talking about also families, US citizen families and kids who are United States citizens. Is that correct? Yes, people who are US citizens and legal residents.

Well, thank you. I want to just show this image here. This is an image of some kids, including, by the way, one of Liam Ramos's classmates. These are kids that are being held at US detention centers and detention facilities. Now, Reverend Tollgaard, when children hear about thousands of kids being detained, reportedly almost 4,000, that must be terrifying. Is that correct? That is absolutely terrifying for children to hear these stories and to fear for that experience.

And would you say that kids are scared at their school? Kids are scared at their schools, at home. Parents are scared of what's going to happen to their children. Would you say that is correct also? Yes, that is correct. Well, thank you. Now, we're discussing the violence and brutality that's happened. And I want to show another image that's kind of difficult, I think, just to see, but I think it's important for the American public to continue to see it. Now, this is the driver's seat of Renée Good's car seat after an ICE agent shot her dead. Now, Reverend Tollgaard, are families in your community afraid that this sort of horrific image could happen to them next? Yes. Are kids scared that this type of horrific image could happen to one of their parents? Kids like my own, kids like the kids in my church are afraid that that could happen to their parents when they speak out. And let's remember that an ICE agent specifically told a protester, have y'all not learned from the past couple of days? This was just two days after Renée Good was shot. That is being told to people on the ground, in Minneapolis and across the country, across Minnesota. And it's not acceptable. We should be clear here. This violence does not make us safer. It does not address fraud, waste, and abuse. It doesn't help families with health care. It does not grow or build small businesses. And it certainly, as we're continuing to discuss, is not preventing the kind of fraud that Republicans are discussing here today. Now, Governor, can you walk us through specifically how Operation Metro Surge affected Minnesota's ability to investigate actual fraud? Well, thank you, Congressman. Well, first of all, as I've said, we've been partners with the federal-- our federal partners, whether that be the FBI or be the US Attorney's Office, which, I will note, was one of the premier US Attorney's Office, regardless of who they were appointed by. Right now, those lead investigators and basically that whole team has left that office. They've not been filled back in. The US attorney himself was in front of a federal judge yesterday on contempt issues of that office not working together. Now, look, we're going to prosecute, as we have, every single person that's involved in fraud. But we can't do it alone. The Attorney General's Office is doing everything they can. He has consistently come and asked the legislature for more money, more of the investigators he needs. But right now, as the backlog at the US Attorney's Office is being challenged by the federal courts, it makes it more difficult for us to get those cases over to them. But the good news is, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is continuing to do those. We got a conviction this week. Those are things that will continue on. And while we need to put in all the safeguards, we need to-- as you heard the Attorney General's opening statement, if we partner together in this, our chance of defeating this fraud is that much higher. But right now, it's stymied. There's no investigators over there. There's no US attorneys. The FBI has been decimated. And it's very difficult. And that right there, the American public needs to hear. I mean, it's completely outrageous what's happened to those that are actually trying to take on fraud in Minnesota and across the country. Those offices have been decimated, and there's no support. Not acceptable. And Governor, finally, there appears to be actually no evidence that ICE and DHS' reign of terror in Minnesota that continues has actually prevented any fraud. Is that your assessment, sir? That's correct. What you saw on the streets didn't do anything to it. And we've actively asked, if you have folks who can help us, if you have folks who are good at the forensics, if they can help us do this, we want you there, as we have for the last seven years that I've been governor. We partnered together and convicted people. Thank you. And with that, I also, just for the record, want to introduce our report as well. Today, the Democratic staff released it as well, as far as it relates to this hearing and Operation Metro Surge. So thank you, Mr. Chairman.