US Senators Demand Stop to Immigrant Agents' Unlawful Arrests of Journalists Filming Them
A letter sent by US Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is calling on federal immigration agents to stop making unlawful arrests of journalists filming them.
The senators are questioning the department's claim that filming agents while they are working poses a threat to their safety, citing numerous instances where agents have been filmed by cameras and film equipment in public areas. They point out that these operations have included camera-toting agents on the Chicago River and during military-style raids in South Shore.
In reality, recording public civil immigration enforcement activities is considered protected First Amendment activity, according to Duckworth and Durbin. The senators argue that if filming was truly dangerous to CBP and ICE personnel, there would be no need to deploy film crews and photographers for this purpose.
The pair's letter comes after previous letters sent to Trump administration leaders went unanswered. They have repeatedly demanded that federal immigration agents refrain from using Chicago's waterways for "partisan ends" and provide answers on the use of Naval Station Great Lakes by federal immigration agents.
Duckworth and Durbin also expressed concerns over the cost implications of National Guard deployments around the country, requesting that the Congressional Budget Office investigate these expenditures. They stated that American taxpayers deserve full transparency regarding how their tax dollars are being spent, particularly when it comes to military personnel deployed for domestic missions without proper justification or public disclosure.
The incident in which Chicago journalist Steve Held was arrested during a protest at an ICE facility while filming officers detaining a protester has sparked widespread criticism of the department's actions. Held was released without charges hours later, according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf and other journalists'.
A letter sent by US Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is calling on federal immigration agents to stop making unlawful arrests of journalists filming them.
The senators are questioning the department's claim that filming agents while they are working poses a threat to their safety, citing numerous instances where agents have been filmed by cameras and film equipment in public areas. They point out that these operations have included camera-toting agents on the Chicago River and during military-style raids in South Shore.
In reality, recording public civil immigration enforcement activities is considered protected First Amendment activity, according to Duckworth and Durbin. The senators argue that if filming was truly dangerous to CBP and ICE personnel, there would be no need to deploy film crews and photographers for this purpose.
The pair's letter comes after previous letters sent to Trump administration leaders went unanswered. They have repeatedly demanded that federal immigration agents refrain from using Chicago's waterways for "partisan ends" and provide answers on the use of Naval Station Great Lakes by federal immigration agents.
Duckworth and Durbin also expressed concerns over the cost implications of National Guard deployments around the country, requesting that the Congressional Budget Office investigate these expenditures. They stated that American taxpayers deserve full transparency regarding how their tax dollars are being spent, particularly when it comes to military personnel deployed for domestic missions without proper justification or public disclosure.
The incident in which Chicago journalist Steve Held was arrested during a protest at an ICE facility while filming officers detaining a protester has sparked widespread criticism of the department's actions. Held was released without charges hours later, according to a lawsuit filed on his behalf and other journalists'.
- if u arent doin anythin wrong why r u gettin arrested in public lol?? Theyre literally sayin that filming immigration agents is a threat 2 their safety & it just dont add up 
. Like wut about all the times they film themselves? 
those cameras never lie, right? I mean i get it, security etc but c'mon, its not like they're tryna do somethin illegal while they got reporters & cameras everywhere 
. They shouldn't be gettin arrested for doin that! Its all about accountability, fam 
. I'm glad Duckworth & Durbin are speakin out 2 the department & demandin some answers 
. I mean, come on, if they're really worried about safety, why not use body cameras or something? And what's up with deploying film crews and photographers for these "operations"? 
It just seems like a massive PR stunt. And don't even get me started on the cost implications of all these National Guard deployments... it's like our tax dollars are just being thrown around 
. I need some real answers from the DHS secretary, stat! 
CBP needs to get its act together! Filming them is protected speech & they're using it as an excuse to suppress media 
so these senators are like "hey DHS, chill" and they write a letter saying that filming immigration agents in public is actually protected speech... like, who knew? 
seriously though, it's kinda wild that they have to explain this. i mean, we have a right to record public officials doing their thing, it's not like it's gonna hurt anyone 
so hopefully these senators get some answers and maybe we'll see some changes.
I'm so done with this! Like, who needs to be arrested for doing their job? Journalists just trying to report on what's going down and suddenly they're "endangering" these agents? 
It's like, come on, you're not fooling anyone. The fact that these agents are deployed in public areas with cameras and film crews is basically an open invite for them to get caught. And now the senators are calling them out on it! 
It's about time someone stood up for those right to free speech and a little bit of transparency would be nice too 
I mean, I know the whole First Amendment thing is a big deal, but come on! If you can't even film public events without getting arrested, what's next? 
It's time for some serious reform, you know? The government should be more transparent and accountable, not trying to silence the press with some arbitrary claim about safety. 
I mean, what's next? Stop 'em from filming them on the beach or something? 
Anyway, I'm glad someone like Duckworth and Durbin is speaking out on this one. Maybe things will start to change around here... 
I just saw that news about US Senators demanding an end to immigrant agents' unlawful arrests of journalists filming them 
And can you even imagine?!?! They're like "Oh no, our safety is at risk!" but we all know it's just a cover-up! 
I mean, have you seen those videos of CBP agents on the Chicago River filming themselves? 
Like what are they even doing?! It's so shady 
He was released hours later, but I'm still fuming about it! 
As a journalist myself, it's terrifying to think about the power these agents have and how they're using it to silence us 
. Like, what's the deal with CBP agents trying to shut down filming in public areas? That's basically a free speech thing right there 
. And these agents are even using cameras on themselves while they're patrolling the streets 
like, isn't that just weird? I'm so glad Duckworth and Durbin are speaking up for this cause 
. And what's even more concerning is that these operations are being done with "partisan ends" - like, who gets to decide what's partisan and what's not? 
. The government should be transparent about how our tax dollars are being spent on these deployments and why we need them in the first place 
I MEAN, COME ON, FILMING IN PUBLIC ISNT EVEN ILLEGAL, RIGHT? 
. The Format Freak demands more from our leaders 
.
this is so weird they have camera crews following them around like that 
filming is protected speech in public areas 
! Filming them in public is not only our right, but it's also super safe 
. I mean, how often have we seen agents get into altercations when people are just trying to expose their actions? 
. The fact that they're using the First Amendment as an excuse for harassment is just not cool 
. As a journalist myself (not in Chicago tho 
), I know how hard it is to get funding and support for our work. So, when these agents are using tax dollars to silence us, it's just wrong 
#JournalistSafetyMatters #FreeSpeechForAll
. If agents are really that concerned about their safety, they should be filming themselves! 
! They're telling immigration agents 2 stop arresting journalists who r just doing their job 
. Let's support these awesome senators 