by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — The country is at a moral moment, with an out-of-control federal agency using police state tactics and killing American citizens in public, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT.
“The videos of killings have created a firestorm of opposition to the Department of Homeland Security that is justified and long overdue,” Blumenthal said Tuesday at a media briefing where he announced his intention to oppose funding for the department without clear reforms.
“The agency is out of control,” he said. “Additional funding for ICE is abhorrent unless there are reforms and restraints that protect against these kinds of brutal, physically violent assaults on individuals.”
Among the reforms Blumenthal and Senate Democrats are demanding are:
- Body cameras and visible identification
- Elimination of street sweeps and indiscriminate mass arrests
- Judicial warrants required for entry into homes
- Legal recourse for those harmed by wrongdoing.
Blumenthal added there were some hopeful signs, including the possible bipartisan action on an independent investigation. He said as many as 10 Senate Republicans have expressed support for an investigation.
Connecticut does not have a Republican in Congress. Legislative and state party leadership did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.