Latest news with #NydiaVelázquez
NBC News
05-08-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Trump admin dismisses all Democrats from Puerto Rico's financial oversight board
Sylvette Santiago, a spokesperson for the board, did not immediately return a message seeking comment on whether the board members would fight the decision. Meanwhile, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a New York Democrat, criticized the dismissals though she acknowledged what she said were 'serious and longstanding concerns' about actions the board has taken, including implementing austerity measures. 'This sudden purge by Donald Trump is not about justice or reform,' she said in a statement. 'It simply creates an opening to stack the Board with even more extreme, pro-bondholder appointees who will continue to put the needs of hedge funds over the Puerto Rican people.' The board was created in 2016 under the Obama administration, a year after Puerto Rico's government declared it was unable to pay its more than $70 billion public debt load and later filed for the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. In remarks to the AP, the White House official claimed the board had operated ineffectively and in secret and said it 'shelled out huge sums to law, consulting and lobbying firms.' The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the subject, also accused the board's staff of receiving 'exorbitant salaries.' Puerto Rico is struggling to restructure more than $9 billion in debt held by the state's Electric Power Authority, with officials holding bitter mediations with creditors demanding full payment. It's the only Puerto Rico government debt pending a restructuring, with the White House official accusing the board of preferring to 'extend the bankruptcy.' In February, the board's executive director, Robert Mujica Jr., said it was 'impossible' for Puerto Rico to pay the $8.5 billion that bondholders are demanding. He instead unveiled a new fiscal plan that proposed a $2.6 billion payment for creditors. The plan does not call for any rate increases for an island that has one of the highest power bills in any U.S. jurisdiction as chronic power outages persist, given the grid's weak infrastructure. Alvin Velázquez, a bankruptcy law professor at Indiana University, said he worries the dismissal of the board members could spark another crisis in Puerto Rico. 'This is really about getting a deal out of (the power company) that is not sustainable for the rate payers of Puerto Rico,' he said. Velázquez, former chair for the unsecured creditors committee during the bankruptcy proceedings, also questioned if the dismissals are legal, since board members can only be removed for just cause. 'What's the cause?' he said. 'What you're going to see is another instance in which the Trump administration is taking on and testing the courts.'
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
ICE agent shares fears about family safety as assaults on officials surge
EXCLUSIVE: With assaults on Immigration and Customs Enforcement official ssurging over 700% and Democrats pushing a bill to require agents to de-mask during immigration enforcement operations, a special agent voiced concern about escalating violence and the effect de-masking could have on agents' families. In an interview with Fox News Digital, the special agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said immigration enforcement officials "wouldn't wear masks if they didn't care" about their families. The agent said increased protests and resistance from politicians have made carrying out their duties difficult. The agent also said attempts to dox agents have made many worry about their families' safety. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News this week that assaults against ICE officers and federal agents conducting immigration enforcement are up 690% compared to the same time last year. DHS recorded 10 assault events from Jan. 21, 2024, to June 30, 2024. From the day after President Donald Trump took office earlier this year until Monday, the department recorded 79 assault events. DHS said the true number is likely higher. They are happening at such a fast pace, some assault reports may not be accounted for yet. This comes as Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have called for ICE agents to be de-masked. In June, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., introduced a bill, the No Masks for ICE Act, to bar ICE agents from wearing face coverings during enforcement actions. Earlier in June, Jeffries declared that all ICE agents who perpetrate "aggressive overreach" and attempt to conceal "their identities from the American people, will be unsuccessful in doing that." They will all be identified "no matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes," he asserted, saying that is what the law requires. Speaking on behalf of himself and his partner, the agent said that despite Jeffries' threats, they believe "the agency or the administration will do their best to protect us." "If they don't, then whatever happens to us, my family, anything outside of that, he's [Jeffries] responsible for it. He's directly responsible for it," the agent said. "What value do you get from taking masks off federal agents or law enforcement that are afraid and getting doxxed?" the agent asked. "What value does that have for you? What's your return on investment at that point?" The agent said in the area of operations, which is run by Democrats who are friendly to sanctuary policies, "almost daily there's some kind of protest or there's a group that's calling out agents or following them around or videotaping them, taking pictures of license plates." The agent said protesters have also been following and photographing agents even before they begin an operation, making it difficult to plan and prepare for missions at well-known places such as police departments. Despite the disruptions, the agent said protesters only give illegals "false hope" that they will be able to evade arrest and deportation. "They're telling them, 'If you fight this, you might win.' And that's not good legal advice at all," he said. "If people come out, and it creates more of a problem, a lot of times the ICE agents just say, 'Hey, this area is too heated up. We're going to go somewhere else,'" he explained. "We're not short on targets. So, if I'm in town X, and they're outside my car yelling and screaming or giving my agents a hard time, they can always go to town Y and look for another target." Ultimately, the agent said, all de-masking immigration officials would do is allow them to be doxxed and endanger not only their families but their communities. "You got people also within my agency and this career field, they work at a church part-time as a clergy person, or maybe they're involved in Girl Scouts, maybe they're a baseball coach," the agent explained. "The last thing that these people want is for some angry person or for some agitator to show up at a baseball game that he or she's coaching and put the attention on them or threaten their families or their way of life."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill in Congress would bar federal immigration agents from covering their faces
Following a surge in arrests by armed, masked federal immigration agents in unmarked cars, some California Democrats are backing a new bill in Congress that would bar officials from covering their faces while conducting raids. The No Masks for ICE Act, introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-New York) and co-sponsored by more than a dozen Democrats, would make it illegal for federal agents to cover their faces while conducting immigration enforcement unless the masks were required for their safety or health. The bill would also require agents to clearly display their name and agency affiliation on their clothes during arrests and enforcement operations. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), who is co-sponsoring the bill, said Tuesday that the legislation would create the same level of accountability for federal agents as for uniformed police in California, who have been required by law for more than three decades to have their name or badge number visible. "When agents are masked and anonymous, you cannot have accountability," Friedman said. "That's not how democracy works. That's not how our country works." Read more: 'Who are these people?' Masked immigration agents challenge local police, sow fear in L.A. The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to set up discipline procedures for officers who did not comply and report annually on those numbers to Congress. A DHS spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department has previously warned of a spike in threats and harassment against immigration agents. The mask bill has no Republican co-sponsors, meaning its chances of getting a hearing in the GOP-controlled House are slim. "I would think that there's Republicans out there who are probably hearing the same thing that I'm hearing from my constituents: 'I don't like the idea of people jumping out of a truck, carrying very large guns with masks over their faces, and I have no idea who they are,'" Friedman said. Friedman said she hoped that Republicans concerned about governmental overreach and the so-called "deep state" — the idea that there is a secretive, coordinated network inside the government — would support the bill too. Read more: California Republicans tell Trump ICE raids should focus on criminals, not ordinary workers The proposal comes after weeks of immigration raids in Southern California conducted by masked federal agents dressed in street clothes or camouflage fatigues, driving unmarked vehicles and not displaying their names, badge numbers or agency affiliations. Social media sites have been flooded with videos of agents violently detaining people, including dragging a taco stand vendor by her arm and tossing smoke bombs into a crowd of onlookers. The raids have coincided with an increase in people impersonating federal immigration agents. Last week, police said they arrested a Huntington Park man driving a Dodge Durango SUV equipped with red-and-blue lights and posing as a Border Patrol agent. In Raleigh, N.C., a 37-year-old man was charged with rape, kidnapping and impersonating a law enforcement officer after police said he broke into a Motel 6, told a woman that he was an immigration officer and that he would have her deported if she didn't have sex with him. And in Houston, police arrested a man who they say blocked another driver's car, pretended to be an ICE agent, conducted a fake traffic stop and stole the man's identification and money. Burbank Mayor Nikki Perez said Tuesday that city officials have received questions from residents like, "How can I know if the masked man detaining me is ICE or a kidnapper? And who can protect me if a man with a gun refuses to identify himself?" Those issues came to a "boiling point" last weekend, Perez said, when a man confronted a woman at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, asked to see her documents and tried to "act as a federal immigration agent." Staff and patrons stepped in to help, Perez said, but the incident left behind a "newfound sense of fear, an uncertainty." "Why is it that we hold our local law enforcement, who put their lives on the line every day, to a much higher standard than federal immigration officers?" Perez said. The bill in the House follows a similar bill introduced in Sacramento last month by state Sen. Scott Wiener that would bar immigration agents from wearing masks, although it's unclear whether states can legally dictate the conduct or uniforms of federal agents. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox twice per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
New bill in Congress would bar federal immigration agents from covering their faces
Following a surge in arrests by armed, masked federal immigration agents in unmarked cars, some California Democrats are backing a new bill in Congress that would bar officials from covering their faces while conducting raids. The No Masks for ICE Act, introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-New York) and co-sponsored by more than a dozen Democrats, would make it illegal for federal agents to cover their faces while conducting immigration enforcement unless the masks were required for their safety or health. The bill would also require agents to clearly display their name and agency affiliation on their clothes during arrests and enforcement operations. Reps. Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), who is co-sponsoring the bill, said Tuesday that the legislation would create the same level of accountability for federal agents as for uniformed police in California, who have been required by law for more than three decades to have their name or badge number visible. 'When agents are masked and anonymous, you cannot have accountability,' Friedman said. 'That's not how democracy works. That's not how our country works.' The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to set up discipline procedures for officers who did not comply and report annually on those numbers to Congress. A DHS spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department has previously warned of a spike in threats and harassment against immigration agents. The mask bill has no Republican co-sponsors, meaning its chances of getting a hearing in the GOP-controlled House are slim. 'I would think that there's Republicans out there who are probably hearing the same thing that I'm hearing from my constituents, 'I don't like the idea of people jumping out of a truck, carrying very large guns with masks over their faces, and I have no idea who they are,'' Friedman said. Friedman said that she hoped that Republicans concerned about governmental overreach and the so-called 'deep state' — the idea that there is a secretive, coordinated network inside the government — would support the bill too. The proposal comes after weeks of immigration raids in Southern California conducted by masked federal agents dressed in street clothes or camouflage fatigues, driving unmarked vehicles and not displaying their names, badge numbers or agency affiliations. Social media sites have been flooded with videos of agents violently detaining people, including dragging a taco stand vendor by her arm and tossing smoke bombs into a crowd of onlookers. The raids have coincided with an increase in people impersonating federal immigration agents. Last week, police said they arrested a Huntington Park man driving a Dodge Durango SUV equipped with red and blue lights and posing as a Border Patrol agent. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a 37-year-old man was charged with rape, kidnapping and impersonating a law enforcement officer after police said he broke into a Motel 6, told a woman that he was an immigration officer and that he would have her deported if she didn't have sex with him. And in Houston, police arrested a man who they say blocked another driver's car, pretended to be an ICE agent, conducted a fake traffic stop and stole the man's identification and money. Burbank mayor Nikki Perez said Tuesday that city officials have received questions from residents like, 'How can I know if the masked man detaining me is ICE or a kidnapper? And who can protect me if a man with a gun refuses to identify himself?' Those issues came to a 'boiling point' last weekend, Perez said, when a man confronted a woman at the Mystic Museum in Burbank, asked to see her documents and tried to 'act as a federal immigration agent.' Staff and patrons stepped in to help, Perez said, but the incident left behind a 'newfound sense of fear, an uncertainty.' 'Why is it that we hold our local law enforcement, who put their lives on the line every day, to a much higher standard than federal immigration officers?' Perez said. The bill in the House follows a similar bill introduced in Sacramento last month by state Sen. Scott Wiener that would bar immigration agents from wearing masks, although it's unclear whether states can legally dictate the conduct or uniforms of federal agents.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
2 New York Representatives Are Denied Access to ICE Facility
Federal officials prevented two members of Congress on Sunday from entering an immigration detention facility in Manhattan where the representatives were seeking to investigate reports of overcrowding, stifling heat and migrants sleeping on bathroom floors. The representatives, Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez, both Democrats from New York, said officials at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building had denied them access to the 10th-floor detention area because it was a 'sensitive facility.' The building, at 26 Federal Plaza, a few blocks from City Hall, has been the site of recent protests against the transport of migrants there by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It also houses immigration courts where ICE has been making arrests in recent weeks. Members of Congress are allowed special access to any Department of Homeland Security facility, including those operated by ICE, as long as they give at least 24 hours' advance notice, according to visitation guidelines. 'Today, ICE violated all of our rights,' Representative Espaillat said at a news conference on Sunday after being turned away. 'We deserve to know what's going on on the 10th floor.' He added, 'If there's nothing wrong, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to go in to see it.' Representative Velázquez said she was outraged about being turned away. 'Our duty is to supervise any federal building,' she said. 'This is not Russia; this is the United States of America,' she added. 'The president of the United States is not a king.' A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said Sunday evening that the lawmakers had shown up unannounced. ICE officials had told them, she said, that they 'would be happy to give them a tour with a little more notice, when it would not disrupt ongoing law enforcement activities and sensitive law enforcement items could be put away.' The representatives arrived a day after dozens of protesters at the complex tried to block ICE vehicles carrying migrants. Many held up signs, including some that said 'Stop Deportations!' and 'To Get Our Neighbors You Have To Get Through Us!' That demonstration erupted in a clash with police officers, some of whom blasted protesters with pepper spray. The police said 22 people were taken into custody. Most were issued summonses or asked to return to court at a later date, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney. 'This is the nightmare scenario we've been taught to fear since childhood,' said John Mark Rozendaal, 64, of Manhattan, who has protested at the building over the last three weeks. We need to 'stand up to the repression that's coming into our nation,' he added. Santiago Castro, 28, a student who is from Colombia, said he had come to the demonstration for a personal reason: ICE agents arrested his father in Manhattan on Tuesday. Mr. Castro said he was demonstrating 'for my family.'
