Rep. Lofgren Issues Statement on Guzman Case

Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) today issued the following statement in response to the safe return of Pedro Guzman to his family in United States.

This entire situation is nothing less than a broad indictment of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) policies and procedures. Mr. Guzman’s needless suffering was the direct result of systematic failures spread throughout the department. We have a case where two of the department’s core agencies, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), completely failed to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of an American citizen.

I find the department’s failures completely unacceptable and unforgivable. The Department of Homeland Security exists for one purpose, to safeguard the lives of Americans. Mr. Guzman’s plight is a clear indicator that DHS has failed at its core mission. I plan to get to the bottom of this debacle.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is serving her seventh term in Congress representing most of the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County. She serves as Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. She also Chairs the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee. Congresswoman Lofgren is Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation consisting of 34 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.