Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 23, 2025 — Clarke Tours Delaney Hall ICE Facility, Calls for Accountability and Immediate Closure after Detainee Death
Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) and Representatives Rob Menendez (NJ-08) and LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) toured the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark following the death of Haitian migrant Jean Wilson Brutus under ICE’s custody and mounting reports of inhumane conditions and systemic abuse within detention facilities.
‘Congressional oversight is essential to preventing and ending the abuses at Delaney Hall and within other detention facilities nationwide. No human being deserves to suffer the conditions we witnessed behind the veil of Donald Trump’s deportation machine, today. But while the state of this facility was shocking, it was not at all unexpected. This administration and its ICE enforcers have demonstrated nothing but cruelty through their xenophobic and inhumane immigration policies that disproportionately target blue states and have swept up immigrants and U.S. citizens alike, often without due process, before they are funneled into detention facilities designed to strip them of their dignity and expose them to serious harm.
‘Mr. Jean Wilson Brutus should still be alive today. This administration’s despicable response to this tragedy and their total lack of transparency speak volumes and tell us everything we need to know about how ICE views the human beings in its care. Let me be clear: any death in the custody of the United States federal government is the responsibility of our government and the administration that leads it. With four reported deaths in ICE custody in recent weeks and a record number since this administration took power, it is an insult to call this incident isolated. Being undocumented should not be a death sentence. I will continue to demand accountability and closely monitor the situation as we learn more.
‘To see so many faces that look just like my own and those of my constituents’ be filled with fear for their lives and grief for a future that was stolen from them was a heartbreaking experience, and one that will stay with me for all time. Every day, this administration’s actions are rotting the soul of America. It is time to remember that we are better than these horrors. Our nation reaches its greatest heights when guided by our hearts, compassion, and a moral obligation to our neighbors in need. That is why my home of New York City will remain a sanctuary city to the oppressed and powerless. Our doors will always be open to those seeking refuge and safety, and they will always be closed to Donald Trump and his agents of hatred.’
New York, N.Y., Dec. 23, 2025 — Rep. Goldman Demands Classified Briefing with Trump Administration Following Pause of Offshore Wind Projects
Today, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (NY-10) sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth criticizing the recent decision to pause all offshore wind leases and demanding a classified briefing with the appropriate officials on the national security concerns cited as the rationale for the pause. One of the affected offshore wind projects, Empire Wind 1, is located partially in New York’s 10th Congressional District and will be adversely impacted by the decision.
In the letter, Goldman lays out the urgent need for offshore wind projects like Empire Wind 1 and calls out President Trump’s hypocritical crusade against renewable energy, which has only served to raise costs for families across the country and further drive the affordability crisis.
Rep. Goldman writes, ‘[Empire Wind 1] is an economic driver for the state of New York, helping to create over 4,000 jobs, and is expected to generate upwards of 810 megawatts of electricity, enough to power an estimated 500,000 homes.’
He continues, ‘Since President Trump took office in January, electricity prices are up 13 percent nationwide, and the cost of electricity is climbing more than twice as fast as the rate of inflation. Moreover, with a significant increase in high-energy data centers around the country, demand for energy will continue to increase, placing additional upward pressure on energy prices in New York. Instead of embracing offshore wind’s potential to lower costs for New Yorkers, the decision to pause Empire Wind 1’s lease is yet another example of the President’s illogical, irrational, and economically irresponsible vendetta against renewable energy.’
Goldman has consistently pushed back against the Trump administration’s reckless renewable energy policies, and his efforts were central to the administration lifting its stop work order against Empire 1 when it was previously arbitrarily targeted by President Trump earlier this year. Goldman also helped lead opposition to the approval of a new fracked natural gas pipeline in New York harbor, which would endanger marine ecosystems, threaten public health, and undermine New York’s landmark climate goals.
The Congressman continues, ‘[T]he Department of the Interior’s press release oddly — and for the first time — cites national security concerns as the principal rationale for the current decision to pause construction of Empire Wind 1. The press release cites classified documents supplied by the Department of Defense in support of this assertion.’
‘Accordingly, pursuant to my Constitutional oversight duties, I hereby request access to the documents cited in the press release and a classified briefing with both the Departments of Interior and Defense when Congress is next in session the week of January 5, 2026.’
Rep. Goldman’s statement on the pause can be found here. A copy of the letter can be found here.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2025 — Murphy, Schiff Introduce Bill To Keep Border Patrol Agents At Our Borders And Out Of Our Cities
U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) today introduced the Keeping Our Agents On The Line Act, a bill to improve border security by ensuring that Border Patrol Agents are not diverted from their work at U.S. borders and reassigned to operations deep in the American interior.
Over the last year, Border Patrol Agents have repeatedly been deployed for complex immigration enforcement operations in American cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Charlotte. Several of these missions were hundreds of miles away from any land border, and far outside the ‘reasonable distance’ border patrol enforcement zone enshrined in law. However, Border Patrol Agents do not have the training to conduct complex civil immigration investigations in the U.S. interior, which ordinarily are handled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Predictably, untrained border patrol agents have been severely disruptive in the communities they’ve been deployed to, harassing US citizens in their homes and workplaces, violently arresting local activists, and refusing to communicate with local law enforcement. Despite pleas from state governors, mayors, and business leaders to take Border Patrol Agents out of their cities, the Trump Administration has vowed to continue these missions and offered little clarity about their scope or duration.
‘Border Patrol has no business conducting regular operations hundreds of miles away from the border,’ said Murphy. ‘Trump’s obsession with ripping families apart and militarizing our cities has resulted in untrained agents wreaking havoc in American communities and a border that’s less secure. Our bill frees border patrol agents to do the important jobs they were actually trained to do: working at or near the border line to keep our country safe.’
‘The administration has continued to engage in indiscriminate and large-scale immigration raids — fomenting fear in our communities. In California, the administration has targeted citizens, noncitizens, and children while conducting raids far from any external border. These actions have torn apart families and adversely impacted the workforce of important industries, including agriculture. I am proud to join Senator Murphy in limiting the Border Patrol agents’ jurisdiction within a reasonable boundary from our external land and sea borders, and to missions for which they are properly trained,’ said Schiff.
The Keeping Our Agents On The Line Act would:
- Clarify the zone of Border Patrol operation does not exceed 25 land miles (consistent with the existing statute);
- Recognize the critical work of the Border Patrol in emergencies such as the Uvalde school shooting, by providing exceptions to the Border Patrol zone where lives are in immediate or imminent danger;
- Prohibit delegations of authority to the Border Patrol to ensure that agents can remain focused on their primary mission of ensuring a secure border; and
- Provide transparency in the form of public reports on data about various training and interactions with United States citizens and others.
For full text of the bill click here.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2025 — With Black Unemployment Soaring, Pressley, Clarke Request Federal Reserve Act & Brief Congressional Black Caucus on Response to Crisis
Today, as Black unemployment continues to soar, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and Chairwoman Yvette Clarke of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell demanding a briefing for members of the Congressional Black Caucus on how the Federal Reserve is responding to this growing crisis. The Congresswoman’s letter follows the November jobs report, which shows Black unemployment at 8.3%—the highest it’s been since 2021—and Black women’s unemployment at 7.1% compared to 4.6% overall. Further, the unemployment rate overall is now the highest it has been since 2021.
In Congress, Rep. Pressley has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rising number of Black women forced out of the workforce in the United States, called on the Federal Reserve to take action, and convened impacted women and economists to renew those calls. The Federal Reserve responded to the Congresswoman’s letter in October.
‘The alarmingly high rates of unemployment in the Black community are a glaring red flag with negative implications for the broader economy,’ the lawmakers wrote in their letter today. ‘While we appreciate your written responses and public statements on this issue, it is critical that you take immediate action to fulfil the statutory mandate to promote maximum employment for all people, of all races and genders. To better understand how the U.S. Federal Reserve is responding to this crisis, we request a briefing for Members of the Congressional Black Caucus.’
In their letter today to Chairman Powell, the lawmakers underscored the essential contributions Black communities make to the American economy, and how the entire country suffers when they are pushed out of the labor market. The lawmakers renewed their calls for the Federal Reserve to act urgently to address the unemployment crisis and outlined several ways the Federal Reserve and regional banks have addressed similar economic concerns in the past.
‘[I]t is not enough to simply analyze, there needs to be action,’ the lawmakers continued. ‘We again urge the Federal Reserve to ensure a fair economy that works for all, regardless of race and gender, in the face of fiscally irresponsible policies from the White House.’
‘For Black families throughout our nation, gainful employment is a necessary key to unlock opportunity and prosperity,’ the lawmakers wrote. ‘The Federal Reserve must comprehensively analyze the impact of Black workers’ job losses and develop a strategic plan to confront this crisis. As a core function of Congressional oversight for the constituents we serve, we request a briefing for the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss high unemployment and solutions for the Black community and our nation.’
The Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement underscoring the urgency of this crisis:
‘Black workers across our country are once again bearing the brunt of an uncertain economy. In recent months, unemployment among Black workers has risen sharply under the economic conditions shaped by policies of the Trump Administration. In November, Black unemployment reached 8.3 percent—the highest level we have seen since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind this number are families struggling to make ends meet and communities facing unbearable economic hardship.
‘The Congressional Black Caucus believes this moment demands urgent action. To better understand how the Federal Reserve is responding to this crisis, we request a briefing for Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Federal Reserve must step in to address this growing unemployment crisis and confront the deep-rooted inequities that continue to leave Black workers behind. Black workers earn about 20 percent less than white workers, a gap that has contributed to a stark racial wealth divide. Today, the median Black family holds just $24,520 in net worth, compared to $250,400 for the median white family. This inequality did not happen by accident and cannot be ignored.
‘We are calling on the Federal Reserve to address the crisis impacting Black workers and to develop a clear strategy to reverse these trends and ensure that Black workers and families are not left behind.’
Text of the lawmakers’ letter is available here.
Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2025 — Monopoly Busters Caucus Blasts Trump Administration for Ending Key Partnership with States that Protects Competition in the Agriculture Industry, Lowers Prices for Consumers
Today, The Monopoly Busters Caucus, led by Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and Pat Ryan (NY-18), blasted the Trump Administration for ending a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) partnership with bipartisan state attorneys general (AGs) that bolstered competition and tackled anticompetitive market structures in food and agricultural markets that have driven up prices for working Americans.
Through the Agricultural Competition Partnership (ACP), USDA previously provided $15 million in funding, support, and expertise to under-resourced state AG offices to help facilitate partnerships between federal and state law enforcement in order to achieve fairer, more competitive markets and more resilient supply chains. This included a focus on price gouging and addressing market structure problems, barriers to competition, and conflicts of interest.
In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the caucus stressed the importance of the ACP in combatting market consolidation, which has decreased margins for family farmers, producers and small business owners, while increasing prices for consumers. The Members also demanded answers from Secretary Rollins about how USDA plans to promote competition in the food and agriculture industries and supply emergency price relief to American farmers, workers and consumers.
‘Ending the partnership with state AGs threatens competition and is contrary to President Trump’s stated goals of lowering food prices, helping struggling independent farmers, and promoting national security,’ the Members wrote.
‘Consolidation in the food and agriculture markets is significant and remains a growing problem for farmers and consumers,’ the Members continued. ‘In consolidated markets like food and agriculture, dominant firms are able to abuse their market power, cutting costs and underinvesting in workers, supply chains, and key food infrastructure; forcing consumers and small businesses to pay higher prices; and reducing choice and quality in the marketplace. As consolidation has accelerated, hundreds of thousands of independent farms have shuttered, hurting rural communities, limiting production, and hindering food accessibility.’
‘Although the Trump Administration has claimed it intends to “deliver emergency price relief” to defeat the “cost-of-living crisis” and implement “America First Priorities,” walking away from the ACP with state AGs signals you are abandoning antitrust efforts that could actually address rising food prices for consumers and rising costs for farmers,’ the Members concluded.
The letter was signed by Reps. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Jerry Nadler (NY-10), André Carson (IN-07), Becca Balint (VT-AL) and Greg Casar (TX-35).
You can read the full text of the letter here.
