WATCH: Garcia vows to hold DHS agents accountable for “unleashing violence”

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., addressed two witnesses at a public forum held Tuesday by Democrats to hear testimony on what lawmakers say are “violent tactics and disproportionate use of force” by Department of Homeland Security agents.

Garcia directed his questions at Marimar Martinez, a Chicago resident who was shot by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents in October and Aliya Rahman, a Minneapolis resident who was detained by immigration agents in January.

“These agents are unleashing violence against people across the country,” Garcia said.

Federal immigration agents have been involved in more than a dozen shootings, some fatal, since President Donald Trump began his second term, sparking public outcry over use of force by officers deployed as part of his immigration crackdown.

Families of victims and residents of Minneapolis, where two fatal shootings occurred last month, have demanded more transparency and accountability from the government, which has tried to shut local and state law enforcement out of investigations into the deaths.

The issue became a driving factor behind the partial government shutdown this week. Democrats refused to agree to a government funding deal for a handful of agencies, including the DHS, without reforms to ICE and CBP, including requiring agents to wear body cameras, refrain from obscuring their faces and obtain judicial warrants for arrests. Lawmakers approved a short-term measure Tuesday that funds DHS only through Feb. 13, while debate continues over these proposals.

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