Gallego Also Goes After Trump’s Layoffs of Veterans at the VA
WASHINGTON – During a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) questioned Troy Edgar, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), about the strain that Trump’s immigration policies is putting on Arizona’s law enforcement and children in schools.
Watch Senator Gallego’s questioning HERE.
Standing Up for AZ Law Enforcement
Senator Gallego raised concerns that he’s heard from local Arizona law enforcement about DHS deputizing local police officers for everyday immigration enforcement. At a time when local public safety departments in Arizona and across the country are facing budget shortfalls and personnel shortages, this action will come at the expense of public safety.
“I’ve heard concerns from numerous law enforcement officials in Arizona, including elected Republican sheriffs, about the deep strain some of these ambitious deportation operations have on their resources and the ability to keep violent criminals off their streets,” said Senator Gallego. “They’re worried that they’re going to be deputized to go after the local taco vendor. They don’t want to be going into farms to look for undocumented migrant workers. It’s not worth their time. It’s not worth the public citizens money to do that if you want to go after these hardcore criminals.”
Edgar would not commit to refraining from deputizing local police forces to do the federal government’s job.
Making Sure Children Feel Safe in School
Senator Gallego then highlighted the impact that President Trump’s immigration policies have had on schools and the importance of ensuring that schools remain safe spaces for children to learn without fear of deportation.
“By making [schools] a place that’s not safe to go, you’re going to have kids skipping school, which we are already seeing all over this country, where kids are skipping school, even some that are here legally, that were born in the United States, because they’re afraid that they’re going to be followed home by ICE and their parents are going to be taken away” said Senator Gallego. “I’m concerned about our schools not being kind of a safe zone for kids.”
Protecting Our Veterans
Finally, Senator Gallego questioned President Trump’s nominee to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) about how federal layoffs have affected veterans, especially in light of OMB Director Vought’s past comments about career civil servants, saying he wants to “put them in trauma.”
“I’m hearing horrible stories, especially some of the veterans that I served with in the Iraq war. They do feel traumatized. They’ve actually served their country. These guys are actually Trump supporters. They have been doing different types of work for the government. Some have now been laid off,” said Senator Gallego. “How can we trust that you’re going to have the best interests of the American people at heart if the stated goal of OMB leadership is to traumatize the very people who provide often some life saving services to the public?”