Immigration on the agenda: Democratic leaders hold town hall in Phoenix

Democratic leaders hold town hall in Phoenix

Politics were front and center in the Valley as a town hall was hosted by Rep. Yassamin Ansari, whose constituents are concerned with the direction of the country under the Trump administration.

PHOENIX - The Trump administration says it's taking off the gloves on immigration enforcement.

For weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have targeted immigration courts in downtown Phoenix, making arrests that they call, "expedited removals."

Border czar Tom Homan is doubling down on recent efforts, saying cities who harbor illegal immigrants will be targeted. He added that no city is off the table.

The Department of Homeland Security says it's fast-tracking deportations of migrants at their immigration hearings who illegally crossed the border during the last two years.

What we know:

On May 31, Arizona's newest congresswoman, Yassamin Ansari, participated in the "Tell Me How You Really Feel" town hall in north Phoenix to address some of these issues and hear from constituents about their concerns. State Senator for Legislative District 24 Analise Ortiz and Washington Elementary School District Governing Board President Kyle Clayton Gore were also at the event.

Among the topics being discussed was immigration under the Trump administration.

Some of the attendees said they were showing up because they want to fight for democracy, and that included showing up to share their disdain for how the current administration is handling immigration.

Other topics they were hoping to discuss included Medicaid, education, federal job cuts, and funding for veterans. But the issue of immigration was top of mind after ICE agents showed up several days in a row outside the immigration courts in downtown Phoenix.

What they're saying:

"Horrific. This should not be happening," said Rep. Ansari.

From the streets of Phoenix to the halls of the U.S. Capitol, Ansari says Americans should be shocked by the Trump administration's immigration policy.

"We're seeing an administration that is trying to trick people and dupe people and folks are going to the court thinking that they are here for an appointment and instead they are being rounded up by ICE officers en mass."

But Homan says there's nothing shocking about people breaking American laws.

"We are not saying we are going to favor one area over another. We're all over the country, every neighborhood and every city. And you are going to see an expansion of that. Like I just said, we're gonna increase the teams greatly, so you're gonna see more teams on the streets you've never seen before. You're gonna see more work site enforcement than you've ever seen in the history of this nation."

Ortiz shared the feedback she's getting from some voters.

"This is really horrifying and there's a lot of people who are really scared right now because what we are seeing is that there's an unprecedented pattern of immigration judges dismissing cases, telling people they're free to go, and then ICE is waiting outside the courtroom to immediately re-arrest them and put them into new removal proceedings," she said. "This is horrible because these are folks that are trying to follow the rules and to come for their fair day in court."

Immigration on the agenda at Phoenix town hall

The issue of immigration was top of mind after ICE agents showed up several days in a row outside of the courts in downtown Phoenix.

During the town hall, Ansari and Ortiz heard from Democratic voters on a range of topics, but people were most outspoken about one subject: immigration.

"I think that the administration is being very heavy-handed, very brutal, cruel, running amok. That goes back to democracy," said Mike Smith.

Ruthee Goldkorn said, "This is not immigration reform. This is what was promised during the campaign in ‘16 and the campaign in ’24. The purge."

The other side:

"I hope most Americans agree that public safety threats and national security threats shouldn't be walking the streets of this country, especially here illegally," said Homan. "So, yeah, we like all the support we can get. I think we got the support of majority American people according to the polls, right?"

But Ortiz says federal policy is based on fear.

"This is terrifying even for people that have lawful residence. We are seeing the Trump administration ignore the rules and that means we are all at risk, even those of us who are U.S. citizens."

Homeland Security, which runs ICE, says arrests at immigration courts, like the one in Phoenix, are part of so-called "expedited deportations" and apply to those in the country illegally, regardless of their standing in immigration court.