'Killers bringing terror to our streets': Swalwell smears ICE agents in heated hearing

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee sharply criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an oversight hearing Tuesday, accusing the agency of systemic abuse and misconduct — claims ICE leadership rejected as misleading or false.

The hearing on Capitol Hill erupted into a heated showdown, as Democratic lawmakers repeatedly clashed with immigration officials in exchanges that rapidly spread across social media.

Democratic members described ICE as operating as a 'fascist' or 'secret police' force.

One of the most widely shared exchanges involved Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) pressing acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to resign, claiming that by staying in his leadership position, Lyons is siding with "killers bringing terror to our streets."

“Will you resign from ICE?” Swalwell asked.

“No, sir, I won’t,” Lyons responded.

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Other Democratic lawmakers used more pointed rhetoric. Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) compared ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents to slave patrols and Ku Klux Klan members, describing federal officers as “white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) railed at Lyons, claiming he had "blood on [his] hands" and asking whether he feared God's judgment. "Do you think you're going to hell?" she asked.

Throughout the hearing, Democratic members described ICE as operating as a “fascist” or “secret police” force, while agency officials defended their mission, saying enforcement priorities focus on violent offenders, human traffickers, and repeat immigration violators.

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The hearing came as Congress continues negotiations over Department of Homeland Security funding, with Republicans warning that partisan disputes could lead to a partial government shutdown affecting border security and enforcement operations.

By the hearing’s conclusion, immigration officials had rejected calls to resign or concede wrongdoing, characterizing the accusations as distorted narratives rather than evidence-based critiques. No resignations or formal actions resulted from the exchanges.

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