Latest Releases
Klobuchar, Smith Call on ICE to Allow Access to Legal Counsel
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are calling on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow federal law and the Constitution by allowing people in detention to have access to legal counsel. Reports indicate that some of those detained, including at least one U.S. citizen, are being denied their constitutional right to access an attorney. “As you know the right to due process and the right to counsel are foundational constitutional guarantees enshrined in the Fifth and Sixth Amendments. ICE and all other federal law enforcement agencies are required to honor these constitutional rights, regardless of a person’s immigration status,” the Senators wrote. “It is critical that ICE have policies and practices in place that ensure agents are complying with the Constitution, federal law, and ICE’s own regulations, including access to counsel.” The full text of the letter is below and can be found here. Dear Acting Director Lyons: We write to express our serious concerns regarding reports that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has denied access to counsel to people detained at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Fort Snelling, Minnesota. This includes reports that federal law enforcement personnel denied access to an attorney who represents a U.S. citizen and Iraq War veteran who was being detained at the facility. In response to attorney demands to see their clients, one ICE agent reportedly said: “[i]f we let you see your clients, we would have to let all the attorneys see their clients, and imagine the chaos.”
Klobuchar, Smith Urge DOJ to Reverse Decision and Allow Joint Investigation Into Fatal ICE Shooting
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to coordinate with state and local law enforcement and allow for a joint investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Klobuchar and Smith called for a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation, which requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities. “We write to express our serious concerns regarding reports that the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is no longer coordinating with state and local law enforcement in the investigation into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good. It is critical there be a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation. That requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities,” wrote the Senators. “After the assassination of Melissa Hortman and the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, federal officials worked closely and cooperatively with state law enforcement. As in those cases, state law enforcement and investigators can bring extensive expertise to this critical investigation,” the Senators continued. The full text of the letter is below and can be found here. Dear Attorney General Bondi: We write to express our serious concerns regarding reports that the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is no longer coordinating with state and local law enforcement in the investigation into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good. It is critical
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar Press Administration on Potential Closure of Indian Health Service Office in Bemidji
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote a letter demanding answers about the potential termination of the Indian Health Service office lease in Bemidji. In a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Stephen Ehikian and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Senators highlighted the devastating impact this decision could have on the health and well-being of thousands of Native Americans across the region. “Thousands of members of federally recognized Tribal Nations receive healthcare within the Bemidji Area Office’s purview. This
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith Press Administration on Potential Closure of Federal Courthouse in Fergus Falls
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) wrote a letter demanding answers about the reported closure and sale of the Edward J. Devitt U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Fergus Falls. This courthouse serves as the only federal court outside of Minnesota’s largest metropolitan areas and houses critical law enforcement offices. In a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Stephen Ehikian and James C. Duff, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Senators raised concerns that shutting it down would restrict access to justice and disrupt public safety in western Minnesota.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith to Bring Voyageurs National Park Ranger Fired by DOGE as Guest to President’s Address to Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) announced that Kate Severson, a former Park Ranger at Voyageurs National Park in Northern Minnesota impacted by Elon Musk’s gutting of the National Park Service, will be her guest at the President’s Joint Address to Congress on March 4th, 2025. The indiscriminate mass firing of all probationary federal employees by Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” forced the firings of more than 1,000 National Park Service employees. With these reductions in staffing, campsites and bathrooms won’t be cleaned, trails will become overgrown, trash won’t get picked up, and parks
U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Todd Young Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Trade Laws, Protect American Workers
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act, legislation to strengthen U.S. trade remedy laws to fight against unfair trade practices and protect American workers. The bill would improve the U.S. trade remedy system and respond to repeat offenders and serial cheaters, leveling the playing field for American workers. The bill also addresses China’s unfair trade practices, specifically its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which provides subsidies to China-based or China-operated companies doing business in countries outside of China. It would also update U.S. trade remedy laws to establish the new concept of
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