Durbin Speaks At Spotlight Forum Examining Aggressive Tactics Of DHS, ICE, CBP Agents Carrying Out Trump Administration’s Cruel Mass Deportation Scheme

Durbin Speaks At Spotlight Forum Examining Aggressive Tactics Of DHS, ICE, CBP Agents Carrying Out Trump Administration's Cruel Mass Deportation Scheme

Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen and Chicagoan who was shot five times by a CBP agent during the Trump Administration's so-called "Operation Midway Blitz," testified during today's spotlight forum

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today participated in a bicameral spotlight forum entitled "Our Values at Stake (Part II): Examining DHS' Use of Violence in Immigration Enforcement." The forum, convened by U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), is the second installment of spotlight forums examining the continued lawlessness of agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Today's forum was a powerful response to the Trump Administration's false narrative that federal agents are only going after the "worst of the worst" during these aggressive immigration raids. Rather, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), at the direction of Acting Director Todd Lyons, has been instructed to arrest all noncitizens without status that they encounter. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has also imposed a quota of 3,000 immigration arrests per day, and in order to meet this arbitrary number of arrests, ICE agents are indiscriminately apprehending nonviolent individuals without criminal records, including farm workers, day laborers, students, members of mixed-status families, and small business owners. However, DHS' own data shows that 73 percent of those arrested nationally have no prior criminal convictions.

In his remarks, Durbin first addressed Marimar Martinez, a witness at today's forum who is a U.S. citizen and Chicagoan. She was shot five times by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent during DHS' so-called "Operation Midway Blitz." Ms. Martinez was initially charged with assaulting the CBP agent who shot her, and DHS issued public statements with her photo alongside claims that she was a "domestic terrorist" armed with a semi-automatic weapon, although she was never charged with a weapon violation. The charges against Ms. Martinez were later dropped, but the CBP agent that shot her later bragged about his shooting abilities and is still employed by the agency. DHS has not recanted or removed its public misrepresentations regarding Ms. Martinez.

"You are a miracle. The fact that you are here today after being shot five times to tell your story [is a miracle]," Durbin said to Ms. Martinez.

Durbin then spoke out against the Trump Administration's aggressive mass deportation scheme. He further criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for refusing to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for more than a year. After repeated requests from Durbin, she finally agreed to attend a Senate Judiciary Committee DHS oversight hearing in March.

"I'm the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I want you to know, for the record, Secretary Noem has not appeared before our Committee in over a year. She's 'too busy' to come and answer for the mismanagement of this agency and the damage that's being done, not only to the people of America, but to our reputation in the world," Durbin said.

"Chicago was one of the first victims of this policy of massive deportation. I came to the Senate Democratic Caucus luncheon, and I told my colleagues after it got started-and after I visited Little Village [in Chicago] and the neighborhoods and saw what happened-[I told my colleagues,] be prepared, because this show is coming to your town next," Durbin said.

"They [congressional Republicans] appropriated billions of dollars for this effort [through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act], this mass deportation, billions of dollars, so that the force that they have created, that we've heard described today, is larger than the United States Marine Corps, larger than the FBI. They are prepared to take this show on the road and to visit polling places and schools, nurseries, Montessori schools all across America. We have to do something. It is up to us. The courts are doing some things. I wish they would do more, but we have to do our part," Durbin continued.

"That's why we've made it clear that this negotiation to change the standards for ICE is critical for us to continue funding this agency… All we're asking is that this effort by ICE and other federal agencies adhere to the same standards and principles as policemen and policewomen across the United States already. That's not too much to ask," Durbin concluded his remarks.

Video of Durbin's remarks is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks is available here.

Today's hearing also featured testimony from Ms. Martinez, who shared her harrowing story of being shot five times by a CBP agent.

"My name is Marimar Martinez. I am a first generation Mexican-American, a survivor of this Administration's actions, and an advocate for those who do not have a voice, those that are pleading for justice, living in fear, and those who are asking for meaningful change and accountability," Ms. Martinez testified.

"I come from a beautiful family full of immigrants. I am proud of my roots. I am born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where I learned the values of resilience, community, respect, love, and hope. Those lessons have shaped me since childhood and continue to guide me through my adult life. On October 4, 2025, those values were tested when my life was nearly taken by my own government. This testimony is my attempt to give voice to an experience that words struggle to hold but silence cannot justify," she said.

"It seemed like time stopped… I drove forward and went around the Border Patrol agent who jumped out of his car and pointed his gun at me. I moved to the far-left lane, striking the curb on the far-left side of Kedzie [Avenue]. The next thing I knew I felt a burning sensation in my arms and legs and thought I had been shot by pepper balls, which I had also seen these agents fire at people in our community. As I continued to drive past the Border Patrol agent, I could hear my back passenger window shatter and I felt bullets continue to pierce my body," Ms. Martinez said.

"At the hospital I remember seeing multiple agents standing around watching me be treated for my wounds. My arms, legs, and chest were all wrapped in bandages. I had 7 bullet holes in my body. I remember the agents rushing the nurses to finish up so they could take me with them," Ms. Martinez continued. "I was next taken to the FBI building for further processing. Because they rushed me out of the hospital so quickly, the blood started soaking through the bandages… The FBI agents agreed to take me to a different hospital where my wounds were treated again, and I received additional medical care before being released back into law enforcement custody the following day."

"The agents took me from the second hospital to the federal detention center in downtown Chicago. I have never even had a parking ticket before, and now I was sitting in a federal detention center," Ms. Martinez said.

Video of Ms. Martinez's testimony is available here.

Audio of Ms. Martinez's testimony is available here.

In response to the Trump Administration's surge in federal law enforcement in Chicago and continuous threats to deploy the military in the area, Durbin has taken a number of steps to push back on these unlawful actions carried out by DHS and Secretary Noem under the direction of President Trump. Durbin's actions to push back on the Trump Administration's so-called "Operation Midway Blitz" can be found here.

Durbin, along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), has also notified the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that they have referred the unlawful actions of Trump Administration officials and federal law enforcement agents responsible for immigration enforcement in Illinois to Attorney General Pam Bondi for investigation. The Trump Administration repeatedly appears to have violated the constitutional rights of individuals in Illinois during "Operation Midway Blitz," and the officials responsible for these violations are acting with impunity. If this Administration fails to pursue charges, the statute of limitations will permit the next Administration to prosecute officials who acted unlawfully.

In December, Durbin also sent an oversight letter to DHS to push back on the Trump Administration's false narrative that it does not arrest U.S. citizens. The letter, which requested a response by December 16, demanded answers about the total number of U.S. citizens arrested during immigration enforcement activity during the Trump Administration; the agencies responsible for the arrests; the length of detention following the arrests; audio or video footage of the arrests; agency directives governing encounters and arrests involving U.S. citizens; and policies regarding the maintenance of citizen arrest data.

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