Latest news with #HispanicConference
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans tells ICE don't waste resources on immigrants with no criminal record
Gabe Evans tells ICE not to waste resources on immigrants with no criminal record Gabe Evans tells ICE not to waste resources on immigrants with no criminal record Gabe Evans tells ICE not to waste resources on immigrants with no criminal record U.S. Representative Gabe Evans (Col-R) is urging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus on arresting and deporting dangerous criminals. U.S. Congressman Gabe Evans (Col-R) CBS Evans and five other U.S. House Republicans -- all members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference -- sent a letter to the interim director of ICE warning him not to use "limited resources to pursue individuals that do not constitute a threat to public safety." "We just have to make sure now that we're a few months into the new administration that we're keeping the focus where it needs to be," Evans told CBS Colorado. Evans says, based on ICE's own records from last summer, there were nearly 660,000 undocumented immigrants in the U.S. with criminal records, including 13,000 convicted murderers. "The focus from a public safety, from a national security lens must remain on deploying all available resources to find these 600,000 plus criminals." Last month, the Trump administration told ICE to shoot for 3,000 arrests per day. Critics say that's led to agents casting too wide of a net to meet the quota. Based on government data obtained by CBS News, ICE is over capacity with about 59,000 people in custody. Forty-seven percent of them have no criminal record. But Evans says the ICE facility in Colorado is a different story. It has room for 1,500 detainees and has about 1,300 in custody. Homeland Security data shows 57% of them have been convicted or charged with crimes; 27% have received deportation orders from immigration judges. The rest are considered a flight or safety risk said Evans, who visited the facility last week. "So the same way that we treat American citizens, you go through that risk analysis and then figure out from a public safety or a flight perspective do we need to keep this person in custody pending final removal," Evans said. Evans says not every undocumented immigrant should be deported. His grandfather crossed the border illegally and then earned his citizenship by serving in World War II. "We have got to have a viable pathway forward, a workable pathway forward for people like my family that want to come to the United States, work hard, raise their families, live the American dream," Evans said. Evans admits current laws don't provide that pathway. Stay tuned," Evans said. "I'll drop a little teaser here. We're doing a lot of work in that, and this is a continuing conversation that I'm sure we'll continue to have in the next couple of weeks and months." Evans says he is not aware of any raids on businesses or farms in Colorado. He says, unless the raids are associated with criminal activity, he doesn't support them. It's estimated, ICE has deported about 100,000 people so far this year. Evans and his congressional colleagues asked the interim director of ICE how many had criminal convictions, what crimes they were convicted of, whether their countries of origin are cooperating, and if he needs additional resources to focus on the 660,000 criminals it's identified. They gave the director until Monday to respond.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Republicans face headwinds as they seek to pass budget for Trump's agenda
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are eying a high-stakes vote this week on a sweeping budget resolution to pass President Donald Trump's agenda of trillions of dollars in tax cuts and additional funds for immigration enforcement. With a majority of 218-215 and no hope of winning Democratic votes, Republicans have almost no margin for error: they can only afford one GOP defection to assure passage of the budget blueprint. If it passes, it would instruct committees to write a sweeping package involving taxes, immigration, military spending and energy policy that can be fast-tracked to the House floor for a vote. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday afternoon that there 'may be more than one' Republican opponent of the measure currently, but predicted that 'we're going to get everybody there.' 'This is a prayer request. Just pray this through for us, because it is very high stakes,' he said at an event hosted by the conservative group Americans For Prosperity. 'The thing about having a small majority is it brings great clarity. It's clarifying. I don't think anybody wants to be in front of this train.' Over the weekend, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, said he was worried that some of his GOP colleagues are backtracking on the deficit-reduction targets. "I supported it in committee — and am open to supporting it going forward — as a framework to see how much Republicans are willing to finally deliver. But statements by some of my colleagues (House & Senate) leave that in doubt," Roy wrote Sunday on X. "We're past the time for excuses." The mercurial Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., responded to Roy in a Monday post on X, saying she's "a NO on the current version" of the budget resolution, citing concerns about too much spending. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said he's undecided, saying that it's "important for the Hispanic Conference to have a seat at the table" and that his priorities include lowering taxes, reducing inflation and cutting regulations "because most Hispanic businesses are small businesses" and often family-owned. "Folks always talk about Hispanic outreach," he said. "Hispanic Conference is the real life walking talking Hispanic outreach." Johnson and his House allies have insisted on passing Trump's legislative agenda in one massive bill, clashing with Senate Republicans who want to break it up into two. Trump has publicly sided with the House's path, but if the vote fails, Republicans may have to fall back on the $340 billion Senate budget resolution, which was adopted by the chamber last week. That version deals with the immigration, defense and energy portions of the GOP plan while leaving the tax debate for another measure. 'My math is much more complicated in the house than the Senate. For the first time in our lifetime, Senate Republicans have a wider margin than we have in the House,' Johnson said, adding that he has 'a much more diverse caucus' than the Senate GOP, including members from districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris won last fall, who have regional concerns. 'So finding the right point for all those dials is going to be the trick,' he said. 'Over the next several weeks, we'll get there. And is the sooner that we do, the better it's going to be.' Republicans plan to vote on the measure Monday in the House Rules Committee, where they have a 9-4 majority and will likely have the votes to send it to the House floor. They may be helped somewhat by potential absences among Democratic lawmakers, due to health reasons and other matters. The vote comes as Democrats rally in opposition, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pressing his members to show up. "Given the expected closeness of the vote, it's imperative that we are present with maximum attendance," he wrote in a letter to colleagues Monday, adding that "far-right extremists are determined to push through $4.5 trillion of tax breaks for wealthy Republican donors and well-connected corporations, explode the debt and saddle everyday Americans with the bill by ending Medicaid as we know it. We must be at full strength to enhance our opportunity to stop the GOP Tax Scam in its tracks." Democrats have zeroed in on language in the budget that requires the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut spending by a hefty $880 billion. The panel oversees Medicaid, which some Republicans are targeting for spending cuts, eying new policies like work requirements to raise the bar for accessing benefits. A recent poll conducted by Fabrizio Ward, the firm helmed by Trump's longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, surveyed 18 swing congressional districts on behalf of the Republican-aligned nonprofit Building America's Future. It found that that health care costs were a major concern for both swing voters and Trump voters. Among the policies it tested, the most favorable reaction was on extending the expiring tax credits for buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats first passed in 2021 and renewed in 2022. Bob Ward, one of the pollsters who conducted it, warned Republicans to tread carefully when it comes to health care benefits. 'Find ways to pay for your tax priorities that don't hurt working families, many of whom, and in some districts — most of whom — are your own voters,' Ward told NBC News. 'Taking away peoples health insurance is neither fiscally prudent nor politically smart.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
24-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
House Republicans face headwinds as they seek to pass budget for Trump's agenda
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are eying a high-stakes vote this week on a sweeping budget resolution to pass President Donald Trump's agenda of trillions of dollars in tax cuts and additional funds for immigration enforcement. With a majority of 218-215 and no hope of winning Democratic votes, Republicans have almost no margin for error: they can only afford one GOP defection to assure passage of the budget blueprint. If it passes, it would instruct committees to write a sweeping package involving taxes, immigration, military spending and energy policy that can be fast-tracked to the House floor for a vote. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday afternoon that there 'may be more than one' Republican opponent of the measure currently, but predicted that 'we're going to get everybody there.' 'This is a prayer request. Just pray this through for us, because it is very high stakes,' he said at an event hosted by the conservative group Americans For Prosperity. 'The thing about having a small majority is it brings great clarity. It's clarifying. I don't think anybody wants to be in front of this train.' Over the weekend, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, said he was worried that some of his GOP colleagues are backtracking on the deficit-reduction targets. "I supported it in committee — and am open to supporting it going forward — as a framework to see how much Republicans are willing to finally deliver. But statements by some of my colleagues (House & Senate) leave that in doubt," Roy wrote Sunday on X. "We're past the time for excuses." The mercurial Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., responded to Roy in a Monday post on X, saying she's "a NO on the current version" of the budget resolution, citing concerns about too much spending. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said he's undecided, saying that it's "important for the Hispanic Conference to have a seat at the table" and that his priorities include lowering taxes, reducing inflation and cutting regulations "because most Hispanic businesses are small businesses" and often family-owned. "Folks always talk about Hispanic outreach," he said. "Hispanic Conference is the real life walking talking Hispanic outreach." Johnson and his House allies have insisted on passing Trump's legislative agenda in one massive bill, clashing with Senate Republicans who want to break it up into two. Trump has publicly sided with the House's path, but if the vote fails, Republicans may have to fall back on the $340 billion Senate budget resolution, which was adopted by the chamber last week. That version deals with the immigration, defense and energy portions of the GOP plan while leaving the tax debate for another measure. 'My math is much more complicated in the house than the Senate. For the first time in our lifetime, Senate Republicans have a wider margin than we have in the House,' Johnson said, adding that he has 'a much more diverse caucus' than the Senate GOP, including members from districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris won last fall, who have regional concerns. 'So finding the right point for all those dials is going to be the trick,' he said. 'Over the next several weeks, we'll get there. And is the sooner that we do, the better it's going to be.' Republicans plan to vote on the measure Monday in the House Rules Committee, where they have a 9-4 majority and will likely have the votes to send it to the House floor. They may be helped somewhat by potential absences among Democratic lawmakers, due to health reasons and other matters. The vote comes as Democrats rally in opposition, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pressing his members to show up. "Given the expected closeness of the vote, it's imperative that we are present with maximum attendance," he wrote in a letter to colleagues Monday, adding that "far-right extremists are determined to push through $4.5 trillion of tax breaks for wealthy Republican donors and well-connected corporations, explode the debt and saddle everyday Americans with the bill by ending Medicaid as we know it. We must be at full strength to enhance our opportunity to stop the GOP Tax Scam in its tracks." Democrats have zeroed in on language in the budget that requires the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut spending by a hefty $880 billion. The panel oversees Medicaid, which some Republicans are targeting for spending cuts, eying new policies like work requirements to raise the bar for accessing benefits. A recent poll conducted by Fabrizio Ward, the firm helmed by Trump's longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, surveyed 18 swing congressional districts on behalf of the Republican-aligned nonprofit Building America's Future. It found that that health care costs were a major concern for both swing voters and Trump voters. Among the policies it tested, the most favorable reaction was on extending the expiring tax credits for buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats first passed in 2021 and renewed in 2022. Bob Ward, one of the pollsters who conducted it, warned Republicans to tread carefully when it comes to health care benefits. 'Find ways to pay for your tax priorities that don't hurt working families, many of whom, and in some districts — most of whom — are your own voters,' Ward told NBC News. 'Taking away peoples health insurance is neither fiscally prudent nor politically smart.'
