PRESS RELEASE –U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Co-Chairs of the U.S. Senate Arctic Caucus, led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation mission to Greenland this past weekend to reinforce relations and respect with the people of the Arctic nation. The trip comes as the American administration has threatened to annex, buy or otherwise take over the island nation.

Together with Arctic Caucus and national security committee members Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), the lawmakers spent the weekend in Nuuk meeting with the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet, members of Parliament, Inuit leaders, Danish military leaders from Joint Arctic Command, and other Arctic officials.

Prior to their arrival in Greenland’s capital, the Senators also traveled 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle to visit troops and meet with military leaders stationed at Pituffik Space Force Base in Northern Greenland, the United States’ northern-most military base in the world.

“Our message to the Greenlandic people is respect for their territorial rights and self-determination,” said Senator King. “My colleagues and I traveled to Greenland to reaffirm our commitment and support for their interest in managing their own affairs in tandem with the Kingdom of Denmark while continuing the longstanding partnership with the United States to ensure the safety and security of our homeland and our NATO allies. Our national security is dependent on maintaining friendly relationships with our allies, not the acquisition, annexation, or invasion of their territory.”

“Since World War II, Greenland, Denmark, and the United States have stood alongside each other as true allies amid an ever-changing global landscape,” Senator Murkowski said. “Greenland has made it clear that it welcomes further partnership with the United States, whether through strengthening economic, military, or diplomatic ties. However, deepening that relationship will rely heavily on rebuilding trust, and recognizing Greenland’s autonomy and the sovereignty of Denmark. We must remember that genuine progress is not achieved through coercion, but rather through mutual respect. My colleagues and I are grateful for the warm reception we received from Greenlanders and look forward to opportunities to continue this important dialogue.”

“I joined this bipartisan visit to Greenland to help show the world that the freedom-loving majority of Americans know that the NATO alliance is critical to keeping our country safe, secure, and free,” said Senator Hassan. “As President Trump appeases adversaries like Putin, it’s particularly important to make clear that real strength means standing by one’s friends and against one’s foes, not the other way around.”…

PRESS RELEASE

FEB 06, 2025

Congresswoman Pingree unveiled new legislation today to combat the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) aggressive and invasive surveillance and intimidation of peaceful observers. The Stop ICE Intimidation Act blocks funding for expanded U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surveillance tools and staffing until the agency fully discloses how it uses databases and facial recognition, who it targets, how long it keeps data, and whether it complies with constitutional protections and local laws. It also freezes ICE’s Clearview AI contract until Congress receives clear assurances that bystanders, observers, and protestors are not swept into the enforcement dragnet.

“Donald Trump and Kristi Noem’s dangerous Department of Homeland Security has quietly built a vast surveillance apparatus that threatens the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens everywhere. From iris-scanning technology that can identify people in seconds to facial recognition databases with millions of records, these tools are being deployed not to enhance public safety, but to intimidate and silence lawful dissent. When a federal agent can photograph someone’s license plate, add them to a database, and label them a ‘domestic terrorist’ simply for filming ICE officers, we’ve crossed a dangerous line,” Pingree said. “Mainers have seen firsthand how these surveillance tools are weaponized—people followed home, called on their personal phones, threatened for simply documenting what’s happening in their own communities. In a truly free society, citizens don’t live in fear of their government. My bill demands transparency and accountability and ensures that not one more taxpayer dollar is spent on this surveillance state.” 

The Stop ICE Intimidation Act:

• Establishes that ICE surveillance and intimidation of observers—including the use of databases and facial recognition—raises serious constitutional concerns under the First and Fourth Amendments.

• Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds for certain surveillance purposes and hiring additional ICE officers until the required congressional reports are submitted.

• Prohibits funding for the continuation of ICE’s contract with Clearview AI until ICE submits the required reports.

• Requires ICE to report to Congress within 30 days about exactly how it conducts surveillance; confirm it does not target bystanders or observers; explain how it uses, stores, shares, and deletes personal data from tools like Clearview AI; and demonstrate that its practices comply with constitutional protections and state and local laws governing facial recognition and surveillance.

Pingree’s effort comes amid disturbing reports of ICE rapidly expanding its surveillance arsenal—including new contracts for iris-scanning technology that allow agents to identify people in seconds during field operations, facial-recognition software from Clearview AI, and massive data-sharing arrangements that pull in IRS, Medicaid, and other personal records.…

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