SANTA BARBARA, CA – U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), top Democrat of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, joined U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08) in demanding that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin discard any plans to use ships for deportation. They cited “enormous operational, safety and legal challenges” and warned that deportations by sea would “take days” and “require many security personnel and cost the taxpayer millions of dollars.” Carbajal and Garamendi’s demands come after New York Times reporting revealed that DHS is considering using ships for mass deportations and identified Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s training ship, the Golden Bear, as a possible vessel.
“If the Trump administration follows through on this proposal, it would represent another escalation of their brutal immigration enforcement tactics. ICE already operates without sufficient transparency or public accountability, and deploying maritime vessels as floating prisons will only open the door to potentially more abuses. As the top Democrat overseeing the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee and a Senior Member of the Armed Services Committee, I am proud to stand with Congressman John Garamendi and my colleagues in opposing the use of the Golden Bear — or any vessel — for mass deportations,” said Rep. Carbajal.
“Mark my words, Donald Trump, Markwayne Mullin, and ICE will never use the Golden Bear for their mass deportation agenda,” said Rep. Garamendi. “Not only is deporting migrants by ship impractical, but it’s also deeply inhumane. We have already seen how Trump’s reckless diversion of our government and military resources to support immigration enforcement costs our military readiness. This move would be the same for our sealift capacity. I’m proud to stand with Congressman Carbajal on this issue and I will continue to use every lever of oversight at my disposal to make sure we halt Trump and Mullin’s ICE from escalating their already inhumane and cruel mass deportation agenda. Hands off the Golden Bear.”
The full letter can be found HERE.
Rep. Salud Carbajal represents California’s 24th Congressional District, encompassing Santa Barbara County and portions of San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County.