ICE UNDER ATTACK

On 2026-01-13, Representative Chip Roy (R-TX-21) delivered a floor speech titled "ICE UNDER ATTACK" in the House. The speech addressed immigration and also covered the environment, foreign policy. It referenced legislation: HR2.

ICE UNDER ATTACK

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)] [House] [Pages H705-H711] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1940 ICE UNDER ATTACK (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Roy of Texas was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Mrs. Biggs). Recognizing the South Carolina National Guard Mrs. BIGGS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and thank the brave men and women of the South Carolina National Guard who are currently deployed here in Washington, D.C. I have been fortunate to spend time with these young men and women on several occasions during their mission. I have shared a meal with the guardsmen. I visited as they prepared for patrol. I have seen them in action while on duty. I also thank the families, spouses, and loved ones back home who carry the weight while their Guard members serve here in D.C. The families' sacrifice and strength are a vital part of a successful mission. Their dedication reflects the values we hold dear in South Carolina. I am grateful to Governor McMaster for standing firmly behind them on this important mission. Mr. Speaker, in the coming days, I will be introducing legislation to ensure our guardsmen are better protected and supported, both during deployments like this and beyond. God bless our military. South Carolina stands with you, and so do I. Suicide is at Crisis Levels in the Country Mrs. BIGGS of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, suicide is at crisis levels in the country, and this year it is hitting heartbreaking highs in my own district. As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, I have met with families in the hardest moments of their lives, and I have seen what happens when the system fails to connect with someone in a crisis to get the help that they may need. That is why I have introduced the Hope Heals Act. When an individual is in crisis, they don't need a maze of red tape. They need intervention, a professional to see them, to listen, and to act. My bill is about making sure families don't get left in the dark. It is about giving communities better tools to recognize when something is wrong and the confidence to respond before it is too late. No one should have to fight the system to save a life. The Hope Heals Act is about honoring the God-given value of every life and making sure help is there when it is needed most. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in this mission. Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from South Carolina, particularly for her shout-out to the National Guard from her own State that has been deployed to the District of Columbia. Unfortunately, that has been necessary, and I am proud of the President for trying to make sure that we secure the Nation's Capital. They are one of the many National Guard units that have been deployed to do the job that the people of D.C. should be doing if they were competent and if they were doing what they are supposed to do as the Nation's Capital. The President is taking charge, and he is leading to ensure that our Nation's Capital is safe for the American people to come visit. I will note that, relatedly, when we are talking about the state of law enforcement and the state of the security of the American people, we have heard a lot of criticisms from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, both in the House and Senate and generally around the country, directed at the great men and women of ICE, the law enforcement agency that is dedicated to the task of removing illegal aliens and, in particular, dangerous illegal aliens from the streets of the United States of America according to the law. They are particularly focusing on and targeting those individuals--I believe the number is around 1.5 million people who are currently in the United States under orders of removal. That is, they have gone through the process. Judges in this country have ordered the removal of 1.5 million people, and ICE is tasked with removing them. Hundreds of thousands of them are dangerous individuals who have committed crimes in their home countries, who are trafficking narcotics, and who have been engaging in criminal behavior in the United States of America. What do my Democratic colleagues do? They stand up in defense of criminals, of criminal illegal aliens, and are in constant attack on the men and women of ICE. Let's just go through some recent criticisms of the great men and women who are working for ICE: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz smeared ICE officers as a ``threat'' to the public, called ICE reckless, suggested the State is at war with Federal officers and under attack by ICE, and smeared ICE as the ``modern-day Gestapo.'' California Governor Gavin Newsom likened ICE to ``secret police,'' calling them authoritarian, and calling on the people to push back. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker claimed ICE is turning the country into Nazi Germany. New York Governor Kathy Hochul accused ICE of ``terrorizing people.'' Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro claimed ICE officers ``make our neighborhoods less safe.'' Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan said ICE officers caused ``chaos and terror.'' Senator Chuck Schumer declared that ICE does not belong in our neighborhoods. Senator Tina Smith called ICE ``a clear and present threat.'' Senator John Hickenlooper smeared ICE as a ``reign of terror.'' Senator Jeff Merkley likened ICE operations to ``fascism'' and claimed officers are doing nothing but ``terrorizing our communities.'' Senator Bernie Sanders asked people to ``stop ICE from what they are doing as soon as possible.'' Senator Elizabeth Warren claimed ICE is ``intentionally stok[ing] fear and tear[ing] communities apart.'' Senator Ruben Gallego said ICE exists ``to scare the American public.'' Senator Mark Warner equated ICE officers to a brutal dictator. Senator Dick Blumenthal accused ICE of spreading ``lawlessness and recklessness.'' Senator Alex Padilla accused ICE of ``indiscriminate violence.'' Senator Dick Durbin accused ICE's officers of committing ``atrocities.'' Representative Ilhan Omar said ICE is ``state violence,'' called officers ``vile and beyond cruel,'' and stated ``abolishing ICE is not enough.'' Representative Pramila Jayapal called ICE officers ``deranged,'' accused them of ``kidnapping,'' said ``resistance'' to ICE is ``inspiring,'' and claimed ICE officers will ``shoot at you and kill you.'' Representative Eric Swalwell smeared ICE officers as ``masked thugs,'' called them ``terrorizing bandit[s],'' said it was his ``priority'' to ensure officers are ``no longer faceless,'' compared them to the KGB, and demanded they ``stay the f-- out of California.'' Representative Jasmine Crockett compared ICE to ``slave patrols'' and called them thugs. Representative Delia Ramirez said DHS ``is the single biggest threat to public safety right now.'' I will repeat: She said DHS ``is the single biggest threat to public safety right now'' and attacked ICE as a ``terror force.'' Representative Summer Lee said ICE is ``out of control'' and ``a police state.'' Representative Ayanna Pressley called ICE ``a rogue, violent agency'' that ``has no business in our communities'' and ``must be abolished,'' and accused ICE of ``terrorizing our communities.'' Representative April McClain Delaney called ICE ``lawless.'' Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called ICE ``an anticivilian [[Page H706]] force'' and said they ``should not exist.'' Representative Rashida Tlaib said ICE is ``terrorizing our communities'' and ``turning our country into a fascist police state,'' called it a ``rogue agency,'' and called for it to be abolished. Representative Julie Johnson excused violence against ICE as people ``channeling that frustration.'' Representative Laura Friedman said ICE officers are ``terrorizing our friends and neighbors . . . and bringing chaos and violence to our streets.'' I have dozens more of these. I could continue to fill time on the House floor by going through the absolute vitriolic attacks on the people of ICE, literally another 30 in the list that I could read off. That is what is occurring on a daily basis and is directed at the people of ICE. Now, I will give you a tale of two choices. I want you to look at and make a decision here about who you want to focus on. Over here, we have victims of dangerous illegal aliens that were in the United States of America. Over here, we have five Americans who are no longer with us. We have Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old woman with autism living in Aberdeen, Maryland, who was savagely strangled to death by an illegal alien, an MS-13 gang member released by Biden at the border. {time} 1950 Mr. Speaker, we have Sergeant Brandon Mendoza from Arizona, a 13-year Mesa Police Department veteran, who was struck by a previously convicted illegal alien who was drunk when he struck Brandon. Somewhat probably most infamously, we have Laken Hope Riley. Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student who attended Augusta University. She was killed by a Tren de Aragua gang member illegally paroled into the country under Joe Biden. We have Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old Maryland mother of five. While going out for a walk, she was raped and murdered by an illegal alien who snuck across the border under Biden. We have Jocelyn Nungaray, a woman whose mother I have gotten to know, a woman whose mother I invited to join us at the inauguration of President Trump a year ago because of her courage for standing up and calling out the lawlessness of the people who have been released on the streets of this country and that resulted in the death of her daughter, Jocelyn. Jocelyn was a 12-year-old girl in Houston, who was out for a walk, when 

Referenced legislation: HR2