Maryland Delegation Members Call for Answers, Investigation Following Alarming ICE Operation in Frederick

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Representative April McClain Delaney were joined by Representatives Steny Hoyer, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, Glenn Ivey, Sarah Elfreth, and Johnny Olszewski (all Md.) – in pressing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director David Venturella for answers around Trump’s ICE operations in Frederick, Maryland on Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4. In their letter, the lawmakers additionally called on DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to initiate an independent and transparent investigation of the tactics ICE is deploying in Maryland. The lawmakers begin, “As members of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation, we write to express our serious concerns with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) recent operation in Frederick, Maryland. The tactics used by ICE officers detailed by eyewitnesses and exposed in videos circulating online are alarming and necessitate more information as to how the recently-merged Washington-Baltimore field office and the agency are enforcing our immigration laws. We request an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation of the tactics ICE is deploying in our state.” They continued, “Recently, ICE reportedly conducted an approximately 40-hour immigration enforcement operation in one neighborhood of Frederick, Maryland. Videos released by observers revealed that on Friday evening the operation turned violent as a dark law enforcement vehicle with flashing lights drove down the sidewalk toward observers, hitting one of them. Another video depicted ICE officers using a baton to beat a protestor and dragging another from the front steps of a home that ICE was attempting to enter. Additionally, during the operation, an ICE officer reportedly approached a local elected official and told her that ICE knew her name, license plate, and where she lived. If true, this is deeply disturbing and appears to be an attempt to intimidate local elected officials.” “On behalf of our constituents, we request an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation of the tactics ICE has been and is currently deploying in our state, and we request responses to the following by no later than September 30, 2026,” the lawmakers conclude. Among other questions, the lawmakers go on to ask the following: Please provide a detailed description and timeline, with documented evidence such as body camera footage, of the events of the operation. Does ICE have a policy that allows the use of vehicles to clear an area of peaceful observers? Does that policy allow for ICE to hit observers, or threaten to hit observers, with their vehicles? When an ICE officer informs a legal observer that they have their name, information, and know where they live – what is the purpose of the officer making that statement? How does ICE come to have this information, and for what reasons does ICE use it? How did ICE’s use of force in this case align with DHS’s use of force policy? During the operation, video shows ICE entering a home, reportedly in pursuit of a target. Did ICE secure a warrant for the target’s arrest before entering the home? The full text of the letter is available here and below. Dear Secretary Mullin and Acting Director Venturella and Inspector General Cuffari, As members of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation, we write to express our serious concerns with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) recent operation in Frederick, Maryland. The tactics used by ICE officers detailed by eyewitnesses and exposed in videos circulating online are alarming and necessitate more information as to how the recently-merged Washington-Baltimore field office and the agency are enforcing our immigration laws. We request an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation of the tactics ICE is deploying in our state. Recently, ICE reportedly conducted an approximately 40-hour immigration enforcement operation in one neighborhood of Frederick, Maryland. Videos released by observers revealed that on Friday evening the operation turned violent as a dark law enforcement vehicle with flashing lights drove down the sidewalk toward observers, hitting one of them. Another video depicted ICE officers using a baton to beat a protestor and dragging another from the front steps of a home that ICE was attempting to enter. Additionally, during the operation, an ICE officer reportedly approached a local elected official and told her that ICE knew her name, license plate, and where she lived. If true, this is deeply disturbing and appears to be an attempt to intimidate local elected officials. ICE has a duty to enforce our immigration laws safely and humanely. Yet, ICE’s operations clearly continue to create chaos and instill fear in our communities. ICE is not making our neighborhoods safer and is not going after the “worst of the worst” as this Administration claims. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security’s own numbers show that nearly 70% of the individuals arrested as part of its two-week surge operation last month in Maryland and Virginia had no criminal record. On behalf of our constituents, we request an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation of the tactics ICE has been and is currently deploying in our state, and we request responses to the following by no later than September 30, 2026. Please provide a detailed description and timeline, with documented evidence such as body camera footage, of the events of the operation. Does ICE have a policy that allows the use of vehicles to clear an area of peaceful observers? Does that policy allow for ICE to hit observers, or threaten to hit observers, with their vehicles? When an ICE officer informs a legal observer that they have their name, information, and know where they live – what is the purpose of the officer making that statement? How does ICE come to have this information, and for what reasons does ICE use it? How did ICE’s use of force in this case align with DHS’s use of force policy? During the operation, video shows ICE entering a home, reportedly in pursuit of a target. Did ICE secure a warrant for the target’s arrest before entering the home? If so, at exactly what time was this warrant issued? Was the warrant administrative or judicial? If no warrant was issued, on what legal grounds did ICE forcibly remove legal observers from a residential sidewalk, use force against observers, and forcefully enter the home? How many of the 1,328 individuals reported arrested as part of the two-week surge in immigration enforcement in Maryland and Virginia were Maryland residents? Of the Maryland residents arrested, how many had a criminal record? Which ICE offices were involved in the two-week operation in Maryland and Virginia? Why was the ICE Boston field office reportedly involved in an arrest in Maryland? Please provide information regarding the current organizational structure of the recently-merged ICE jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia. What was the reason for the merger? What are the operational differences resulting from the merger? What is the new organizational structure for leadership in this newly created jurisdiction? Please provide the name and contact information for the District and/or Field Office Director with authority over Maryland.