The federal government holds immense power, and with it comes a constitutional responsibility. When that responsibility is abandoned, Congress must act. 

That moment is now.

Americans have watched immigration enforcement become a smokescreen for government overreach and a power grab by Donald Trump, enabled by leaders like Mitch McConnell and Andy Barr, resulting in civilian deaths, constitutional violations, blocked investigations, and leadership that refuses to take responsibility.

This is not a debate about whether immigration law should be enforced. Both Democratic and Republican administrations have enforced immigration law. What makes this moment different is how that enforcement is being carried out.

It is being carried out in ways that violate the First Amendment’s protections for speech and assembly, the Second Amendment’s right to lawful self-defense, the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law.

Too many elected officials, including here in Kentucky, have chosen to look away. Kentuckians deserve leaders who speak up when federal authority goes unchecked, and failing to do so is a failure to meet their constitutional responsibilities.

This failure of leadership is why I am calling for an ICE Accountability Standard, a clear line the federal government must not cross.