At Tuesday's House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) grilled Kerry Doyle, Former Principal Legal Advisor at ICE, about her actions at ICE.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I recognize for five minutes for questioning.
00:03Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:05Mr. Humir, so we've seen under the Biden administration
00:11the failed open border policies that really fueled
00:15and exasperated the immigration crisis,
00:18the illegal immigration crisis in my home state of Colorado.
00:22And the previous administration released at least 11 million
00:27illegal aliens and at least 100 known terrorists.
00:31And estimates indicate 250,000 to 585,000 pounds of fentanyl
00:38into our communities, Colorado being the number two
00:40state in the nation for fentanyl overdoses,
00:43really fentanyl poisoning.
00:45Most of these folks aren't seeking after fentanyl,
00:47but they're being tricked into taking it.
00:50How do you believe that the Biden administration's policies
00:53empowered terrorists and these terrorist organizations
00:57like Trinidad and Tobago to commit
00:59violent crimes against American citizens,
01:02especially in places like Colorado and Aurora?
01:05The Biden administration's immigration and border policies
01:08provided a magnet for all kinds of criminals and terrorists
01:11to basically say, the border's open, we're going to move in.
01:14And that empowered the enemies and adversaries
01:16of the United States, including nation states,
01:18to then steer those migrants to be
01:20able to come into our country.
01:22Ms. Congressman, you mentioned the Trinidad-Aragua.
01:25The Trinidad-Aragua is uniquely a phenomenon
01:27of the Biden administration.
01:28It did not exist inside the United States prior to 2021.
01:31In fact, most of the Venezuelan migration
01:32that was leaving that country since 2014
01:34fled south through South America.
01:36But because the Venezuelan government
01:37was able to establish both a land
01:39bridge through the Darien Gap, a once uncrossable border
01:42between Panama and Colombia, and an air bridge into Mexico,
01:45they timed that because they knew
01:46that President Biden was going to open the border.
01:48Now we have Trinidad-Aragua in 23 states,
01:50including your state of Colorado.
01:52And they've captured, killed, and raped all kinds
01:54of Americans throughout the country.
01:56Thank you for highlighting that this is a new problem that we
01:59weren't encountering before with this gang
02:01presence in our country.
02:03And now, recent reports have been
02:06about leaks taking place within law enforcement,
02:11sensitive information detailing the ICE raids targeting
02:14illegal criminal aliens.
02:17How do these leaks affect law enforcement efforts
02:20to keep the country safe?
02:23I'm familiar with a leak that happened
02:24in your state in Colorado that was a major raid.
02:27That was more than 400 agents that
02:29were deployed to basically take down the Trinidad-Aragua
02:31apartment complexes.
02:33That not only puts at risk the law enforcement officials that
02:36are engaged in that raid, but it puts at risk
02:39the entire community because it allows that gang to figure out
02:42the leaks, the vulnerabilities in our law enforcement system.
02:45What I'm very concerned about, the Trinidad-Aragua
02:47particular, is very adept at co-opting government
02:50officials.
02:51They've done this in countries all throughout South America
02:54because they use this later to be
02:55able to create media apparatuses,
02:57other kinds of propaganda to defend their interests, which
03:00is through illegal migration.
03:01Yes, and a question that I did want to ask you,
03:04how does it help or hurt when members of Congress
03:07see this and engage in the leaks and prop them up,
03:10and then even have special town hall-like events
03:13where they're telling illegal aliens
03:16how to remain in the country?
03:17Well, they're either wittingly or unwittingly
03:20aligning themselves with that transnational criminal
03:21organization's strategic objectives.
03:24Ms. Doyle, in Aurora, Colorado, we've
03:25been talking about the Venezuelan gang Trinidad-Aragua.
03:28They were tied to incidents at multiple apartment complexes
03:31where violent gangs, they had events like home evasions,
03:36shootings, kidnappings, assaults, and extortion
03:40for rent payments.
03:41And just last year, nine suspected TDA members
03:44were charged after a violent home invasion
03:47into an apartment complex and left two victims seriously
03:50injured.
03:51As a legal advisor under the Biden administration,
03:55did you ever advise anyone that we
03:56should be doing something to prevent this kind of gang
03:59activity in our communities?
04:01I'm unable to discuss, due to my ethical obligations
04:05to confidentiality, any advice I gave.
04:07Or are you not here as a principal legal advisor?
04:10But I cannot break my confidentiality
04:12for any specific advice.
04:14I will tell you that we always focused on national security
04:17and public safety and supported the brave and hardworking law
04:22enforcement officers of Immigration Customs
04:24Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigation.
04:26Did you ever advocate for coordination
04:28between federal law enforcement officers
04:30and local and state law enforcement officers?
04:33Yes.
04:34Well, we have in Denver and in Colorado
04:37two different multiple statutes that prevent that coordination.
04:42So were there conversations?
04:44And are you still advocating, if you were,
04:46to have those sanctuary policy laws removed
04:50so we can have that coordination?
04:53Each community should be able to determine themselves
04:56what works for their community.
04:58As you mentioned, holding Boston up
04:59as the safest large city in the country, which does not allow.
05:02Well, I think our federal laws would keep our communities
05:05the safest.
05:05Our federal laws are on the books
05:07and say that they should require state and local law
05:13enforcement officers to collaborate
05:14with federal immigration authorities.
05:16However, the Biden administration
05:17empowered sanctuary cities.
05:19And as a legal advisor, I would just
05:21assume that you are part of the empowering of places
05:25like Denver to pass these ordinances.
05:27Is that true?
05:28Local mayors, cities, towns, and the states
05:33should be able to determine their own policies
05:35and their own approaches.
05:37And while we work for ICS, we always
05:38encourage cooperation as far as possible.
05:40I believe federal law should be followed at all costs.
05:43Thank you, ma'am.
05:43My time has expired.